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A total of 320 sows of mixed parity numbers were distributed in two different groups according to parity number and BW. One of the two different treatments was assigned to each group, and the assigned dietary treatment was continuously offered through 3 different reproductive cycles. The gestation dietary treatments were a basal corn-soybean meal diet and the control diet + 13.35% wheat straw. The basal gestation diet intake averaged 1.95 kg for both treatments, plus 0.30 kg of straw daily for sows fed the diet containing ground wheat straw (total intake of 2.25 kg/d). During lactation the sows of both experimental treatments were fed ad libitum the same lactation diet. Sow farrowing and rebreeding percentage, culling factors and culling rate, weaning-to-oestrus interval, sow BW and backfat measurements, litter size and total litter weigh at birth and at weaning.
It was observed that over 3 reproductive cycles, sows fed the diet containing wheat straw farrowed and weaned 0.51 more pigs per litter (P<0.04) and showed higher total litter weight at birth and at weaning (P<0.01) than sows fed the control diet. Sows fed the diet containing wheat straw consumed more (P<0.01) lactation diet per day that the control group. No differences were observed on rebreeding percentage and culling rate, BW, backfat or weaning-to-oestrus interval due to the experimental treatments.
It is concluded that equalizing daily feed intake during the gestation phase, the dietary inclusion of wheat straw during this phase improves sow litter performance by increasing litter size and total litter weight at birth and weaning.
TL Veum, JD Crenshaw, TD Crenshaw, GL Cromwell, RA Easter, RC Ewan, JL Nelssen, ER Miller . 2009. Journal of Animal Science. 87: 1003-1012.
