Use of virginiamycin improves performance of high-prolific sows during gestation and lactation over two cycles

Bruno Alexander Nunes Silva,Kariny Fonseca Da Silva,Dante Pazzanese Duarte Lanna,Hysla Milena Cunha Cardoso,Wagner Azis Garcia Araujo,Leonardo David Tuffi Santos,Paulo Henrique Reis Furtado Campos,Carlos Junior Kippert

doi:10.33448/rsd-v10i14.21880

Abstract

Feed additives can be used as potential strategies to enhance the efficiency of nutrient utilization by the sow can impact on the reduction of feed costs and in addition improve sow and litter health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the supplementation of virginiamycin (VM) in diets for gestating and lactating sows over two consecutive productive cycles on the animals productive and reproductive performance. Sows that received VM showed a lower BW, body protein and energy losses during both lactations when compared to control sows (P = 0.001). VM treatment increased (+6%; P = 0.001) piglet weaning weight. The litter daily gain was also influenced (P = 0.001) by the treatments were litters from VM fed sows showed an improved daily gain when compared to control sows (2.61 vs. 2.24 kg d-1 respectively). Average daily milk production improved by 17% (P = 0.001) in the VM sows when compared with the control. Also, an improvement in milk fatty acid profiles were found in sows fed VM. As a conclusion, we can infer that the constant use of VM in the diets of sows during gestation and lactation improves both sow and litter performance.

Highlights

Nutritional strategies used to improve the performance of sows generally are associated with dietary manipulation.Several nutrients or feed additives that increase performance, demonstrate an efficient amino acid and energy utilization and offer potentially benefits as growth enhancers, and improve sow performance and longevity
Factors that can improve the efficiency of feed utilization by the sow, can contribute to improve feed costs, which represent great proportion of the total production costs in the pig industry, and as a secondary effect improve sow and litter health status (Kyriakis et al, 1992)
The use of antibiotics may result in improved economic gains in pigs living in sub-optimal conditions rather than in those reared in the highest welfare and environmental conditions

Summary

Introduction

Several nutrients or feed additives that increase performance (i.e., antibiotics), demonstrate an efficient amino acid and energy utilization and offer potentially benefits as growth enhancers, and improve sow performance and longevity. Amino acid and energy intake during gestation and lactation represent important indicators of sow performance and have been extensively investigated and well documented by literature The interest in feed additives, commonly used as growth promotors in other pig categories (i.e., growing-finishing pigs), is to study their effects on reproductive and productive performance of sows. Factors that can improve the efficiency of feed utilization by the sow, can contribute to improve feed costs, which represent great proportion of the total production costs in the pig industry, and as a secondary effect improve sow and litter health status (Kyriakis et al, 1992). The establishment of a beneficial intestinal microbiota at birth could lead to healthier pigs, this could be achieved in an effective way by treating sows, which could potentially provide an optimized transfer of beneficial bacterial strains from the sow to the neonatal pigs' environment

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