Abstract
Simple SummaryThis study assessed the effects intermittent suckling (IS) had on physiological and behavioral indices of piglets before and after weaning. Piglets were allocated to either a control treatment (conventional weaning) or an IS treatment (separation from the sow for 8 h per day starting the week before weaning). Apart from an initial peak in cortisol at the start of IS, piglets subjected to IS did not show physiological changes suggestive of a chronic stress response before and after weaning. The event of weaning still caused a decrease in growth rate and an increase in white blood cell parameters in both treatment groups. However, the IS piglets tended to gain more weight in the second half of the week after weaning. The results of this study suggest that short periods of separation (e.g., 8 h/day) do not appear to compromise piglet welfare over the peri-weaning period.This study tested the hypothesis that piglets subjected to intermittent suckling (IS) would show changes in physiological and behavioral indices indicative of compromised welfare in the peri-weaning period. A total of 21 primiparous sows and their litters were allocated to either a control treatment (n = 10) where piglets were weaned conventionally, or an IS treatment (n = 11) where piglets were separated daily from their sows for 8 h starting the week before weaning. Performance, physiological and behavioral measures were taken at various time points during the week before and after weaning. Plasma cortisol levels were higher (p = 0.01) in IS piglets 7 d before weaning. Regardless of treatment, the N:L ratio at 3 d and 7 d after weaning was higher (p < 0.05) than that at 1 d before weaning. The IS piglets ate more creep feed during lactation (p < 0.05), and there was a tendency for the IS piglets to gain more weight between 3 d and 7 d after weaning (p < 0.1). This study showed that, aside from an increase in cortisol at the start of IS, piglets subjected to IS did not display physiological or behavioral changes indicative of compromised welfare.
Highlights
The induction of estrus and subsequent mating during lactation is an alternative reproduction system that is being explored by some pork industries around the world to reduce sow confinement.Animals 2016, 6, 24; doi:10.3390/ani6030024 www.mdpi.com/journal/animalsIn this system, anestrus, which is usually experienced by the sow in lactation, is primarily overcome by the use of a limited nursing weaning regime such as intermittent suckling (IS) [1] in combination with boar exposure [2]
The act of repeated maternal separation during lactation on aspects of the piglets’ stress response is of potential welfare concern since it is well established that maternal separation experienced at weaning is associated with altered behavior patterns such as aggression, belly nosing and higher vocalization rates [10], and a transient increase in adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol most likely resulting from emotional stress of the mother-infant separation and exposure to a new environment [11]
Piglet pre-weaning mortality was 7.7% for conventional weaning (CW) piglets compared with 2.7% for IS piglets, this difference was not significant (p > 0.1)
Summary
In this system, anestrus, which is usually experienced by the sow in lactation, is primarily overcome by the use of a limited nursing weaning regime such as intermittent suckling (IS) [1] in combination with boar exposure [2]. Intermittent suckling involves a temporary daily separation of the piglets from the sow during the latter part of lactation to reduce the suppressive effect that suckling has on luteinizing hormone secretion, which may allow ovulation to occur and subsequent conception during lactation [1]. Separating piglets from the sow before weaning allows piglets to become more familiar with solid food as an alternative nutrient source to milk, which causes increased solid feed intake before weaning and a subsequent improvement in growth after weaning [6,7,8,9]. It is important to establish that short, repeated periods of separation during lactation do not make the event of weaning even more stressful
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