Novel nutritional strategies for optimum sow and piglet productivity
Project leaders
Project objective
The ultimate goal is to develop unique Canadian feeding management strategies for optimum sow and piglet productivity, taking into consideration production efficiencies, including pig performance
up to market weight, food safety, pig welfare and use of antibiotics.
We shall investigate underlying mechanisms so that we capitalize
on potential synergies between the different sow and piglet feeding strategies that are evaluated. Secondary goals are to further stimulate interactions among multidisciplinary (physiology, immunology, microbiology, nutrition) Canadian swine researchers in nutrition.
Summary of the project
1.Best meet the nutrient requirement of sows during gestation and
early lactation,
2.Stimulate the development and health of the gut, immune function
and productivity of nursing and newly-weaned piglets, and
3.Determine the long-term impact of post-weaning feeding strategies on growth performance and disease resistance up to market weight, as well as carcass and meat quality.
To achieve these objectives, a number of activities will be undertaken in several different provinces:
1.The importance of in utero vs post-natal transfer of some
vitamins and minerals in pig
Activity leader: Jacques Matte and Martin Lessard, AAFC,
Sherbrooke, Québec.
This activity is designed to evaluate the importance of in utero and
post-natal transfer of some vitamins of the B complex and minerals
such as Zn and Cu.
2.Development of novel feeding strategies aiming to improve
gut development, defense functions, health and performance
of piglets
Activity leader: Martin Lessard. AAFC, Sherbrooke, Québec.
This activity is designed to evaluate the influence of administering
nutraceuticals (vitamins, trace minerals, nucleotides, essential
fatty acids) and functional feed ingredients (cranberry, milk by-
products, yeast-derived products, probiotics, prebiotics) during
lactation and the peri-weaning period to best meet piglets needs
according to their stage of development.
3.Biomarkers to relate management of piglets post-weaning
to subsequent growth performance, carcass and meat quality
Activity leader: Kees De Lange, University of Guelph, Ontario.
This activity is designed to identify of the relationship of diet quality
and use of antibiotics with starter pig performance, on performance
up to market weight, carcass and meat quality, and response to an
immune challenge. Also, this could help to develop of simple test on
blood or selected tissues (biomarkers) that could be used to predict
the impact of starter pig management on productivity of growing-
finishing pigs, including susceptibility to disease challenges.
4.Sow nutrition during gestation
Activity leader: Ron Ball, University of Alberta, Alberta.
This activity is designed to obtain information on 1st, 2nd, 3rd and
4th limiting amino acids for sows and discreet values for the
requirement of 3rd limiting amino acids for gestating sows. Also,
this activity could help in identifying information on appropriateness
of the phase feeding program and prepare a recommendation to the
industry.
Significant achievements
1.The importance of in utero vs post-natal transfer of some
vitamins and minerals in pig
The animal phase of this project was completed in June 2011.
The laboratory phase is in progress and completed at about 30%.
2.Development of novel feeding strategies aiming to improve
of piglets gut development, defense functions, health and performanceAnimal experimentation is underway at the Dairy and Swine
Research Centre (DSRC) as well as in a commercial condition.
Animal experimentation in commercial conditions, lead by Frédéric
Guay, will be completed by the end of December 2011. In this
experimentation, animal performances are measured and blood
and tissue samples are taken to evaluate the influence of dietary
treatments on markers related to inflammation and oxidative status,
integrity of intestinal mucosa and activity of digestive enzymes.
The laboratory phase is also in progress. Overall, the project is
completed at about 30%. The other sub-project realized at the
DSRC and lead by Mr. Lessard, the animal phase is completed at
about 50% and will be terminated by April 2012. Gut samplings and
blood samples are taken to evaluate influence of treatments on
intestinal bacterial populations and immune response in weanling
pigs. Overall, the project is completed at about 25%.
3.Biomarkers to relate management of piglets post-weaning
to subsequent growth performance, carcass and meat quality
Feeding rather simple, corn and soybean meal based diets tonursery pigs reduced post-weaning growth performance, but had no
long-term effect on growth performance in the growing-finishing
phase, days from weaning to market and carcass characteristics.
Therefore, a reduction in feed costs may be obtained in the nursery
phase by feeding less complex diets without compromising subsequent growth performance and carcass value. Further
research is underway to explore the impact of nursery feeding
program on measures of gut development, changes in gut
microflora, and bio-markers (blood metabolites and gene
expression). These aspects of animal physiology may be used
to estimate the impact of nursery feeding program on short and
long-term changes in pig growth performance.
4.Sow nutrition during gestation
The experimental determination of the order of amino acid limitationin late pregnancy is completed. Reducing dietary threonine by 60%
compared to an adequate control diet increased indicator amino acid
oxidation and reduced plasma free threonine more than deletions of
lysine, tryptophan or branched-chain amino acids. This suggests
that in late pregnancy threonine is likely the first limiting amino acid,
and that diet formulation needs to consider threonine as well as
lysine. The determination of the requirement for the third-limiting
amino acid, tryptophan, in early and late gestation is in progress.
The animal work has been completed and preliminary results
indicate that late gestation requirement is 50% greater than early
gestation requirement.
Associated Documents
Can Simple Nursery Diets Save You Money? - Newsletter October 2012
Feeding Sows More Efficiently - Newsletter October 2012
Farmscape interview: November 2012 - Research Shows Phase Feeding Gestating Sows Saves on Feed Costs
