The ‘teat order’ of suckling pigs: 3. Relation to competition within litters

Abstract

SummaryPiglets in litters, paired according to farrowing date, were redistributed during the first day after birth according to two schemes. In scheme AC–BD, one sow of the pair received the heaviest and the third heaviest quarters of the combined litters (based on weight post partum), while the other sow received the second heaviest and the lightest quarters. In scheme AB–CD, one sow received the heavier half, and the other the lighter half of the piglets. After 3 weeks under scheme AB–CD, the weight difference between the second and third quarters had become reversed, while under scheme AC–BD the difference was preserved. There was no evidence of a corresponding interaction in the selection of anterior or posterior teats. The rank correlation of the piglets' initial weight and suckling position was low for most sows. No marked differences were observed between fostered and unfostered piglets in the weight measures or suckling position. It is concluded that the growth of the piglets was influenced by the relative size of their litter-mates after redistribution, but that little of the effect could be explained by competition for the anterior teats.