Effect of different feeding strategies and dietary fiber levels on energy and protein retention in gestating sows.

The aim of the study was to investigate whether increased inclusion of sugar beet pulp (SBP) alters retention of fat, protein, and energy when backfat (BF) is restored in early- and mid-gestation. In total, 46 sows were fed one of four dietary treatments with increasing inclusion of SBP providing dietary fiber (DF) levels of 119, 152, 185, and 217 g/kg; sows were assigned to one of three feeding strategies (FS; high, medium, and low) depending on BF thickness at mating and again at day 30 for the following month. On days 0, 30, 60, and 108, body weight (BW) and BF thickness were measured and body pools of protein and fat were estimated using the deuterium oxide technique.

Optimal protein concentration in diets for sows during the transition period.

The aim of the present study was to determine the optimal concentration of dietary protein required in transition diets for multiparous sows that enhance the farrowing process, colostrum production, and subsequent lactation performance. Forty-eight multiparous sows were allotted to one of six dietary treatments according to body weight (290 ± 3 kg) and parity (3.8 ± 0.

Supplementation of palmitoleic acid improved piglet growth and reduced body temperature drop upon cold exposure.

Piglet survival is a major challenge in the first few days postpartum and interventions during this period may improve survival and growth. This study investigated the effects of palmitoleic acid (C16:1n-7; PA) supplementation on growth performance, body temperature, fatty acid (FA), and energy metabolism in milk-replacer-fed piglets. Forty-eight piglets were stratified by body weight and randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% PA supplementation as a percent of milk replacer) and given the diet through an orogastric tube.

Feeding level during the last week of gestation can influence performance of sows and their litters in the subsequent lactation.

This study investigated the impact of feeding level during the last week of gestation on performance of sows and their litters in the subsequent lactation. A total of 48 sows were assigned to one of six feeding levels (1.8, 2.

Characteristics of sows' milk and piglet nutrient utilization during a 28-d lactation period.

The present study aimed to characterize the performance of suckling piglets from high prolific sows and investigate the impact of milk composition on piglet growth during a 4-wk lactation period. Piglet performance included weight gain (WG), milk intake, nutrients and energy in milk, and piglet energy metabolism in weeks 1 to 4 of lactation. Data from six previous experiments were used with a total of 2,047 piglets and 604 milk samples collected from 151 sows.

Impact of dietary fat levels and fatty acid composition on milk fat synthesis in sows at peak lactation.

Background: Dietary fat is important for energy provision and immune function of lactating sows and their progeny. However, knowledge on the impact of fat on mammary transcription of lipogenic genes, de novo fat synthesis, and milk fatty acid (FA) output is sparse in sows. This study aimed to evaluate impacts of dietary fat levels and FA composition on these traits in sows.

The 13C-bicarbonate technique as a tool for measurement of energy expenditure in overweight dogs undergoing body weight reduction and the effect of different dietary composition.

Changes in body size and composition, i.e., body weight (BW) gain or loss, affect the daily energy expenditure (EE).

Dynamics of fatty acid and non-volatile polar metabolite profiles in colostrum and milk depending on the lactation stage and parity number of sows.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of lactation stage and parity number on fatty acid and non-volatile polar metabolite profiles in sow colostrum and milk using a metabolomics approach. A total number of 63 colostrum, transient and mature milk were collected from primiparous and multiparous Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred sows. Macrochemical, fatty acid and non-volatile polar metabolite compositions of samples were analyzed using infrared spectrometry, gas chromatography coupled with mass-spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, respectively.

Influence of four fiber-rich supplements on digestibility of energy and nutrients and utilization of energy and nitrogen in early and mid-gestating sows.

The digestibility of energy and nutrients in fiber-rich diets depends greatly on the fiber source but most data are from studies with growing pigs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients in different fiber-rich diets and to quantify whole-body metabolism and utilization of energy and nitrogen (N) in gestating sows. Four fiber-rich diets based on sugar beet pulp (SBP), soy hulls (SH), palm kernel expellers (PKE), or a mixed fiber (MF) were formulated, with an average daily intake of total fiber (TF) of 471, 507, 651, and 437 g/d, respectively.

The Impact of Enhancing Diet Quality or Dietary Supplementation of Flavor and Multi-Enzymes on Primiparous Lactating Sows.

This study was aimed to explore how a high-quality diet or a flavor plus multi-enzyme diet affects the feed intake, nutrient digestibility and antioxidation capacity of lactating sows and the growth of their progeny. Thirty primiparous sows were randomly assigned to three treatments from d 2 of lactation until weaning (d 21): control (CON), with a basal diet; high quality (HQ), with 200 kcal/kg higher net energy than CON; or the CON diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg flavor and 100 mg/kg multi-enzymes (F + E). Sows fed with the HQ or F + E diets improved piglets’ live weight (p < 0.

Review: Physiology and nutrition of late gestating and transition sows.

The physiology during late gestation and the transition period to lactation changes dramatically in the sow, especially during the latter period. Understanding the physiological processes and how they change dynamically as the sow approaches farrowing, nest building, giving birth to piglets, and producing colostrum is important because these processes greatly affect sow productivity. Glucose originating from assimilated starch accounts for the majority of dietary energy, and around farrowing, various organs and peripheral tissues compete for plasma glucose, which may become depleted.

Feeding the modern sow to sustain high productivity.

Selection for hyper-prolific sows has increased the litter size by more than 50% during the last three decades, and proper nutrition of the female pigs has concomitantly changed due to improved prolificacy and productivity of gilts and sows. This review summarizes the physiological characteristics and nutritional challenges associated with feeding modern hyper-prolific sows during the gilt rearing period and during gestation, transition, and lactation periods. The review presents up-to-date knowledge of the energy and lysine requirements of female pigs and focuses on how nutrition may increase fat gain and limit protein and weight gain in the gilt rearing period and in early and mid-gestation.

Increased feed supply and dietary fiber from sugar beet pulp improved energy retention in gestating sows.

The aim of the study was to investigate whether increased inclusion of sugar beet pulp (SBP) alters retention of fat, protein, and energy when backfat (BF) is restored in early- and mid-gestation. In total, 46 sows were fed one of four treatments with increasing inclusion of SBP with dietary fiber (DF) levels of 119, 152, 185, and 217 g/kg; sows were assigned to one of three feeding strategies (FS; high, medium, and low) depending on BF thickness at mating and again at day 30 for the following month. On days 0, 30, 60, and 108, body weight (BW) and BF thickness were measured, and body pools of protein and fat were estimated using the deuterium technique.

The improvement of parturition duration by high intake of dietary fibre in late gestation is associated with gut microbiota and metabolome in sows.

Prolonged parturition duration has been widely demonstrated to be a risk factor for incidence of stillbirth. This study evaluated the supply of dietary fibre on the parturition duration, gut microbiota and metabolome using sows as a model. A total of 40 Yorkshire sows were randomly given diet containing normal level of dietary fibre (NDF, 17·5 % dietary fibre) or high level of dietary fibre (HDF, 33·5 % dietary fibre).

Effects of dairy and plant protein on growth and growth biomarkers in a piglet model.

The increasing world population with improved living conditions has increased the demand for food protein. This has intensified the search for sustainable alternative plant-derived high-quality protein sources for human nutrition. To study the effect of plant and milk proteins on growth in weaned pigs as a model for humans, 96 weaned pigs were divided into 48 pens and fed one of 4 different diets for 3 weeks.

The differences in energy metabolism and redox status between sows with short and long farrowing duration.

Farrowing duration is a crucial factor affecting survival of piglets and health of sows, and is highly correlated with the incidence of stillbirth. The present study assessed the metabolic characteristics of sows with short farrowing duration (SFD) or long farrowing duration (LFD). A total of 20 Yorkshire sows were screened from 60 sows and were retrospectively allocated into SFD (211 min on average, n = 10) or LFD (388 min on average, n = 10) group.

Impact of four fiber-rich supplements on nutrient digestibility, colostrum production, and farrowing performance in sows.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of dietary fiber (DF) sources on sow and litter performance, and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) and nutrients. A total of 48 sows were stratified for body weight at mating and randomly assigned to one of four DF sources (mixed fiber [MF], palm kernel expellers [PKE], sugar beet pulp [SBP], or soy hulls [SH]) and fed the diet from mating until farrowing. Within DF treatments, sows were supplemented with one of two extra energy sources (glycerol or sugar dissolved in water), whereas a third group (control) received water from day 108 of gestation until farrowing.

Intravenous infusion of glucose improved farrowing performance of hyperprolific crossbred sows.

The sow at parturition is challenged with respect to energy status due to increases in energetic expenses associated with 1) nest building 2) uterine contractions, and 3) colostrum production. A previous study indicated that sows were depleted of glucogenic energy around farrowing. The aim was to investigate whether intravenous infusion of glucose from observed nest-building behavior to 24 h postpartum affected the farrowing kinetics and colostrum production in sows.

Optimal feed level during the transition period to achieve faster farrowing and high colostrum yield in sows.

This study aimed to determine the optimal supply of lactation feed during the transition period to minimize farrowing duration (FD) and maximize colostrum yield (CY) and quality with the overall aim of reducing piglet mortality. A total of 48 sows were stratified for body weight and assigned to six levels of feed supply (1.8, 2.

Impact of litter size, supplementary milk replacer and housing on the body composition of piglets from hyper-prolific sows at weaning.

The modern hyper-prolific sow gives birth to 17 live-born piglets on average. An alternative strategy to nurse sows and artificial rearing may be providing milk replacer while letting all the piglets stay with their dam. However, milk replacer is of lower nutritional quality than sow milk and may reduce the body fat content of piglets who use milk replacer to compensate for low suckling success due to competition at the udder.

Effects of dietary soluble or insoluble fiber intake in late gestation on litter performance, milk composition, immune function, and redox status of sows around parturition.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary soluble fiber (SF) or insoluble fiber (ISF) intake in late gestation on litter performance, milk composition, immune function, and redox status of sows around parturition. A total of 60 Yorkshire sows were randomly assigned into three dietary treatments: normal level of dietary fiber (CON, 16.16% dietary fiber with 1.

Impact of arginine supplementation on serum prolactin and mRNA abundance of amino acid transporter genes in mammary tissue of lactating sows.

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that supplemental dietary Arg to late-pregnant and lactating sows increases serum prolactin concentrations and mRNA abundance of SLC7A1, SLC7A2, and SLC6A14 in mammary parenchymal tissue. From day 108 of gestation and until day 21 of lactation, sows were fed a diet either supplemented with 0.10 g of l-Arg/kg body weight (BW) per day (n = 10, ARG) or 0.

Dietary fibre and protein do not synergistically influence insulin, metabolic or inflammatory biomarkers in young obese Göttingen minipigs.

The effects of dietary fibre (DF) and protein on insulin response, lipidaemia and inflammatory biomarkers were studied in a model experiment with juvenile obese Göttingen minipigs. After 20 weeks feeding on a high-fat fructose-rich low-DF diet, forty-three 30-week-old minipigs (31·3 (sem 4·0) kg body weight) were allocated to low- or high-DF and -protein diets for 8 weeks in a 2 × 2 factorial design. High DF contents decreased (P = 0·006) while high protein increased (P < 0·001) the daily gain.

Feeding sows during the transition period-is a gestation diet, a simple transition diet, or a lactation diet the best choice?

Three experiments were carried out to study whether a gestation diet, a simple transition diet, or a lactation diet is the best choice in late gestation and when sows preferably should be transferred to a high crude protein () lactation diet. In experiment 1, 35 sows were fed either a gestation diet (12.1% CP), a lactation diet (15.