Feeding the DanBred gilt for prolificacy and longevity: gestation and transition (2 of 2)

In our previous article, we went through the feeding recommendations to meet the DanBred objectives at first mating, stressing the importance of reducing the protein supply to control weight gain and ensure the development of back fat reserves.

Gestation feeding: What is the right feeding pattern for gilts being mated at the right weight and back fat level?

Young sows will still have a very high drive to grow if they have sufficient protein available. The objective during gestation is to ensure optimal reproductive performance without a high increase in her weight. If they receive high protein levels during gestation, they will grow fast and become heavy and lean.

It is important that during the mid gestation period the females do not gain extra weight. Any extra feed intake provided in mid gestation will generate extra weight on the sow with the negative effects associated with excessive body condition but will not have any positive effect improving her reproductive performance.

What is the effect of this lower protein supply during gestation on the reproductive performance of the sows?

Several trials using low protein diets during gestation showed that it did not have a negative effect on the litter size or birth weight of the piglets.

Regarding the last month before farrowing, it has been a common practice to use “bump feeding”: providing extra feed with the objective of increasing piglet birth weight and improving the future milk production.

The latest results in Denmark with sows in normal body condition showed that an increase of the daily feed intake from 2.8 to 3.5 kg only increased the weight of the sow and surprisingly had a negative effect on piglet birth weight, reducing it by 30 grams in both gilts and sows. Also, our studies showed that protein levels from day 84 to 104 did not influence colostrum production.

Considering those results, many farms are moving to a flat curve keeping the same feed level from 4 weeks after mating to the start of the transition period (7 to 10 days before farrowing). Not only do they see better results, but feeding management is easier and simpler.

What about if the current sows are very heavy?

First of all, check the back fat of those sows. Most likely those animals are very big because they have received plenty of protein and they are heavy based on lean muscular growth. Heavy weight losses based on losing muscle have a very negative effect on the longevity of the sow. If you have got heavy lean sows, the best recommendation is to send them to slaughter.

There is no quick fix for big lean sows, but if we want to improve the longevity of our population, we need to stop, think and make significant changes starting with the young gilts by changing how we develop and feed our animals.

What about transition period? How is it affecting the performance of the sows?

These 7 to 10 days before farrowing play a critical role in the performance and health of the sow and her litter. Several factors need to be considered.

Colostrum and milk production: 7 to 10 days before farrowing the sow prepares her udder, and it starts the production of colostrum, increasing her need for protein. If the sow is maintained in a low protein gestation diet during this critical time, it will affect her colostrum and especially her milk production ability.

Table 1. Milk production is dependent on feeding level before onset of lactation

Reference: Bruun et al (2023): Journal of Animal Science. 101

It has been established that the sow should be receiving a minimum of 22 g SID lys/day during this transition time to achieve her full milk potential.

Energy for farrowing: Bigger litters also means longer farrowings, and the sow needs plenty of energy to cope with it. There is a strong relationship between how many hours from the last meal to the onset of farrowing with the length of the farrowing itself, also considering that longer farrowings tend to have more stillborns.

To ensure that the sow has enough energy to cope with farrowing, the optimal level has been established at around 3.7 kg/day. It is also very important that the sow receives several meals, trying to reduce the number of hours from her last meal to the onset of farrowing.

Never reduce the amount of feed provided to the sows due to farrow to ensure she has plenty of energy to promote a fast farrowing.

Control of constipation: Constipated sows have longer farrowings with a higher risk of stillborns, preweaning mortality, etc. Therefore, it is important to regularly check the quality of feces before farrowing and take control measures such as feeding supplementary fiber if necessary. The addition of fiber will help to prevent constipation and also to provide energy for the sow.

Monitoring backfat levels: a tool to monitor the success of the feeding strategy of your population

The objective is to evaluate if the feeding strategy you have implemented for the population is working. It is not designed to monitor and take action on the individual animal, therefore there is no need to measure the back fat of every single animal but just a sample of the batch.

• Measuring the animals when they enter the farrowing house provides information about the quality of the feeding strategy at gestation
• Measuring back fat at weaning will provide very useful information on the suitability of the feeding strategy during lactation

It is important to consider not only the back fat figures but also the variation in the population.

Gilt management during the first lactation is key for their longevity

Objective: Avoid overfeeding the gilt as this could make her stop eating but push them to eat as much as possible. If the animal is not eating enough, it is important to focus on the root problem: Does she have a fever? Is the water too hot?

It is good that the gilts are nursing many piglets, but they need to be closely monitored. If a good milking first parity sow is lean and losing weight because she is not eating enough to cover her needs, never use her as a nurse sow. If a young sow is losing too much weight, she must be weaned before her weight is too far down to ensure she recovers properly and her longevity is not affected by excessive weight loss.

The range in longevity that we see in different farms working with DanBred genetics proves the key role of management, including feed management, to achieve the best lifetime performance of the DanBred sows.

Further information: DanBred feeding manual