Influence of formic acid on blood parameters and reproductive traits of sows

Abstract

Currently, pig farming plays an important role in providing the country with meat products. The intensification and profitability of this industry depends on the effectiveness of increasing the live weight gain and livability of pigs. Therefore, the problem of increasing the productivity of pigs is urgent. An increase in the productive traits of pigs can be achieved by using organic acids, as acidifiers of feed or water. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to study the influence of formic acid added to the drinking water of lactating sows on their blood parameters and reproductive traits, as well as on the increase in their feed intake, live weight gain and livability of piglets. Studies were carried out on 120 hybrid sows of F₁. After farrowing sows were divided into two groups according to the principle of pairs of analogues: at the beginning of lactation, formic acid was added to the water for drinking as an acidifier to the experimental group of animals (n=60), the acidifier was not added to the water to the control group of animals (n=60). As a result of the conducted studies, the effectiveness of the influence of formic acid added to drinking water for lactating sows on the physiological state of sows, morphological and biochemical blood parameters, reproductive traits was established. It was revealed that the use of formic acid as the acidifier of drinking water provided to lactating sows stimulates their feed intake, which in turn positively affects the livability rate and the average weight of their offspring at the end of the preweaning period. Thus, the average weight of one piglet at the end of the preweaning period in sows of the experimental group was 7,24 kg, which was 4,47 % more (p < 0,01) than in animals of the control group. As the result, in the experimental group of animals the litter weight was 87,02 kg, which was by 9,96 kg or 12,93 % more than in the sows of the control group (p < 0,001).