Abstract
Simple SummaryWeaning is an important period for the swine industry and is influenced by the early events that occur during gestation and lactation. Therefore, a range of dietary and management strategies have to be implemented to achieve optimal health status, maturity, and weight at weaning. In this review, we aimed to identify the major dietary nutrients and management strategies to enhance fetal growth, reducing the oxidative and inflammatory status of sows, modulating the microbiota of sows, enhancing colostrum and milk production, and taking care of neonatal piglets.The performance of piglets in nurseries may vary depending on body weight, age at weaning, management, and pathogenic load in the pig facilities. The early events in a pig’s life are very important and may have long lasting consequences, since growth lag involves a significant cost to the system due to reduced market weights and increased barn occupancy. The present review evidences that there are several strategies that can be used to improve the performance and welfare of pigs at weaning. A complex set of early management and dietary strategies have been explored in sows and suckling piglets for achieving optimum and efficient growth of piglets after weaning. The management strategies studied to improve development and animal welfare include: (1) improving sow housing during gestation, (2) reducing pain during farrowing, (3) facilitating an early and sufficient colostrum intake, (4) promoting an early social interaction between litters, and (5) providing complementary feed during lactation. Dietary strategies for sows and suckling piglets aim to: (1) enhance fetal growth (arginine, folate, betaine, vitamin B12, carnitine, chromium, and zinc), (2) increase colostrum and milk production (DL-methionine, DL-2-hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid, arginine, L-carnitine, tryptophan, valine, vitamin E, and phytogenic actives), (3) modulate sows’ oxidative and inflammation status (polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, selenium, phytogenic actives, and spray dried plasma), (4) allow early microbial colonization (probiotics), or (5) supply conditionally essential nutrients (nucleotides, glutamate, glutamine, threonine, and tryptophan).
Highlights
The average litter size of sows has been increased by genetic selection over the last decades; this is associated with a reduction in the average birth weight and, concomitantly, an increased within-litter body weight (BW) variation
We describe early strategies, either focusing on the sows or the piglets during lactation, which aim to decrease the proportion of small piglets at weaning
Low levels of energy during gestation are related to lower body fat reserves at farrowing or at weaning and more days to return to estrus [36], while high energy intakes increase the sow’s weight and body condition [36], but do not influence the piglet’s birth and weaning BW or survival [37,38]
Summary
The average litter size of sows has been increased by genetic selection over the last decades; this is associated with a reduction in the average birth weight and, concomitantly, an increased within-litter body weight (BW) variation. Low levels of energy during gestation are related to lower body fat reserves at farrowing or at weaning and more days to return to estrus [36], while high energy intakes increase the sow’s weight and body condition [36], but do not influence the piglet’s birth and weaning BW or survival [37,38]. A bumped feed intake before farrowing seems to be associated with an increased energy and amino acids (AA) intake, which promotes sows becoming overweight but does not have a significant impact on litter quality even in high producing sows [39] This is directly related to the following section because bump feeding may directly affect colostrum and milk production
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