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The movement of pigs (cross-fostering) consists in moving pigs or litters of piglets from bad milk producers sows or with an excess of live births to good milk producers sows and with available nipples to breastfeed them, trying to homogenize litters in number and weight as the productive potential of each female. In practice the cross-fostering is executed more than once, often after 24 to 48 hours, this is why it’s necessary to state under national conditions the effect of restricting this management on piglets after 12 hours of birth.
A total of 60 litters were used and randomly divided into 2 groups, the experimental group (treatment 1) constituted by 30 litters with movement’s restrictions only before 12 hours after birth, and the control group (treatment 2) constituted by 30 litters with varieties movements during the nursing period with the purpose of standardize litters. The behavior of both litter groups was observed and the weight gain and mortality during this period was registered. The study was repeated twice, the next two weeks of production, in order to have a total of three replicas.
The animals from the treatment 1 (with restriction of movement at 12 hours) have on average a greater weight gain at weaning than the treatment 2 in the first la the third replica, been sadistically different. In the other hand, the second replica showed a value that was lightly greater in the treatment 2, but this difference was not statistically different. The differences between both treatment were 0.27, -0.02 and 0.41 grams in the first, second and third replica respectively. The mortality was allays greater in the treatment 2, without restriction of movement, difference that was statistically different.
These results indicate that restriction of the pig’s movement at 12 hours after birth will have a positive effect in comparison with the most traditional management, were the animals are moved more than once, especially after the 12 hours after birth, in order to homogenize the litter and help the smallest piglets. The restriction movement in this study showed a positive effect in the weight gain at weaning, been statistically different in to of the three replicas, but in the other replica, were it was observe a little difference in favor on the control group, was no possible observe any sadistically difference. Additionally, the restriction movement showed a positive effect in the reduction in mortality.
A. Olivares, A. Ruiz. Effect of restricted movement of the piglets (cross fostering) on the weight at weaning in intensive pig production farm. 22nd IPVS, 2012.