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Background: A Tonsil-Oral-Scrubbing (TOSc) method was developed to sample the sow's oropharyngeal and tonsillar area without snaring and has shown comparable porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) RNA detection rates with tonsil scraping in infected sows. This study investigated the effect of specific TOSc collection factors on the PRRSV RT-rtPCR results (detection rates and Ct values). Those factors include whether the sow was snared or not snared at TOSc collection ("snared" vs. "not snared"); whether the sow was laying down or standing at collection ("laying down" vs. "standing"); and type of collectors used for TOSc collection ("TOSc prototype" vs. "Spiral-headed AI catheter (SHAC)"). Volume of fluid was compared between "snared" and "not snared" groups, and collection time was compared between "laying down" and "standing" groups as well. Results: The effect for each factor was assessed in three independent studies following the same design: TOSc was collected twice from each studied sow, once with the baseline level for a factor ("not snared", or "standing", or "TOSc prototype"), and another time followed by the other level of the paired factor ("snared", "laying down", or "SHAC", correspondingly). Results showed that "not snared" TOSc had numerically higher PRRSV RNA detection rate (60.7% vs. 52.5%, p = 0.11), significantly lower median Ct values (31.9 vs. 32.3, p < 0.01), and significantly higher volume of fluid than "snared" samples (1.8 mL vs. 1.2 mL, p < 0.01); "laying down" TOSc samples did not differ statistically (60.7% vs. 60.7%) in the PRRSV RNA detection rate, obtained numerically lower median Ct values (30.9 vs. 31.3, p = 0.19), but took 40% less collection time compared to "standing" TOSc samples; samples collected using the "TOSc prototype" had numerically higher PRRSV RNA detection rate (91.7% vs. 88.3%, p = 0.27) and significantly lower median Ct values (32.8 vs. 34.5, p < 0.01) than that from "SHAC". Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study best practices for TOSc collection aiming higher detection rate of PRRSV RNA while minimizing time for collection were suggested to be sampling TOSc without snaring, when sows are laying down, and using a prototype TOSc collector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Maternity Ring was developed as a free farrowing alternative to crates that preserved space whilst providing the sow with unrestricted movement. This experiment aimed to apply the Five Domains model to assess sow welfare in the Maternity Ring in comparison with the farrowing crate. Eighty-eight sows were housed in a farrowing crate (FC) and 83 in a Maternity Ring (MR), and measures collected focussed on nutrition, environment, health, behaviour, and mental state outcomes. MR sows consumed less feed than FC sows (total feed intake: 93.8  ±  3.06  kg vs. 111.2  ±  3.13  kg; p  <  0.001) but had reduced P2 backfat loss during lactation (0.0  ±  0.11 vs. 1.2  ±  0.11, p  <  0.001). Fewer frustrated and pain-related behaviours during farrowing were observed in MR sows (bar biting: FC 3.3  ±  2.12 vs. MR 0.5  ±  0.29 events, p  =  0.038, and back leg forward: FC 227  ±  50.7 vs. MR 127  ±  26.4 events, p  =  0.019), and a decreased proportion of MR sows had facial injuries after farrowing (10% CI [5, 20] vs. 67% CI [47, 95], p  <  0.001). More FC sows had udder damage at weaning (70% CI [48, 97] vs. 10% CI [6, 24], p  <  0.001), and their piglets were medicated more frequently when compared to those in MR (51% CI [40, 61] vs. 30% [21, 41], p  =  0.008). MR sows tended to have a higher reaction score to piglet processing (MR 2.0  ±  0.38 vs. FC 1.2  ±  0.27, p  =  0.094) and had more contact with piglets once the procedure was complete than FC sows (13.5  ±  2.55 vs. 6.9  ±  1.26 events, respectively, p  =  0.016). Whilst there was no difference in anticipation of a feeding event (p  >  0.05), MR sows displayed a reduced startle response to an aversive noise stimulus at day 18 (FC 2.8  ±  0.35, MR 0.7  ±  0.16, p  <  0.001). Using the Five Domains framework, sows housed in the MR during farrowing and lactation have improved welfare than those in FC and can be thought of as being in a positive affective state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sow mortality in the U.S. swine industry has increased in recent years, for which pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a major contributor, accounting for 21% of all sow mortality. Dysbiosis of microbial communities has been associated with disease and reproductive dysfunction in several species, and previous studies have shown changes in vaginal microbiota in sows with increased risk for POP during late gestation. However, there is insufficient knowledge surrounding the potential relationship between fecal microbiota and POP in sows. Therefore, the study objective was to identify differences in sow fecal microbiota and determine if fecal and vaginal microbial communities are correlated in relation to POP risk. Methods: Sows were evaluated for POP risk using an established perineal scoring system, with a perineal score (PS) of 1 (PS1) presuming little to no risk of POP to a PS of 3 (PS3) presuming high risk of POP. In the current study, 2,864 sows were scored during gestation week 15, and 1.0%, 2.7%, and 23.4% of PS1, PS2, and PS3 sows, respectively, subsequently experienced POP. Fecal swabs (n = 215) were collected between gestation days 108-115, DNA was extracted, and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing libraries were analyzed using mothur, phyloseq and SAS in reference to PS and POP outcome. Additionally, co-occurrence networks were constructed using CoNet to compare fecal and vaginal microbiota from the same cohort of sows and identify correlations between different taxa. Results: Differences in fecal community composition (PERMANOVA; P < 0.05), structure (alpha diversity measurements; P < 0.05), and 13 individual operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were revealed between PS1 and PS3 assigned sows. No differences in fecal microbiota were detected as a result of POP outcome. However, the abundances of several taxa were correlated across sample collection sites, suggesting the fecal and vaginal microbial communities may be related to one another. Discussion: Collectively, fewer differences in the fecal microbiota exist in sows with differing risk for POP compared to the vaginal microbiota, suggesting the vaginal microbiome may be more relevant in relation to POP outcome, although correlations between fecal and vaginal communities may provide insight for strategies to combat POP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces yeast postbiotics (SYP) in feeds for sows on the growth of offspring (Exp. 1), for nursery pigs on their growth (Exp. 2), and for nursery and finishing pigs on their growth (Exp. 3). Methods: Exp. 1 had 80 sows at breeding assigned to 4 groups with SYP at 0, 0.050, 0.175, and 0.500 g/kg. Offspring were fed a common diet for 126 d. Exp. 2 had 144 barrows at 8 kg body weight (BW) allotted to CON (no SYP); YPC (SYP at 0.175 g/kg; d 0 to 42); and YPD (SYP at 1.25, 0.75, and 0 g/kg; d 0 to 7, d 8 to 21, and d 22 to 42, respectively) with 8 pens/treatment (6 pigs/pen). Exp. 3 had 96 barrows at 8 kg BW allotted to CON (no SYP); YPN (SYP at 0.175 g/kg; d 0 to 42); YPF (SYP at 0.100 g/kg; d 43 to 119); and YPA (SYP at 0.175 and 0.100 g/kg; d 0 to 42 and d 43 to 119, respectively) with 8 pens/treatment (3 pigs/pen). Results: In Exp. 1, increasing SYP increased (p<0.05, quadratic) the sow body score (maximum at 0.30% SYP), reduced (p<0.05, quadratic) the days-wean-to-estrus (minimum at 0.27% SYP), and increased (p<0.05) offspring BW at weaning and their average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (G:F) at d 126. In Exp. 2, ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and G:F of YPC were the greatest (p<0.05). The ADG and ADFI of YPD were greater (p<0.05) than CON. Fecal score of YPC and YPD was smaller (p<0.05) than CON. In Exp. 3, YPA had the greatest (p<0.05) ADG and YPN and YPF had greater (p<0.05) ADG than CON. Conclusion: SYP enhanced sow performance, offspring growth, growth of nursery and growing pigs with the greater efficacy at 0.27 to 0.32 g/kg feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sows commonly experience insulin resistance in late gestation and lactation, causing lower feed intake and milk production, which can lead to higher mortality rates in newborn piglets. The probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is known to improve insulin resistance. However, whether supplementing LGG can improve insulin sensitivity in sows and enhance lactation performance, particularly the early survival of offspring remains unclear. Hence, we explored the effects and mechanisms of supplementing LGG during late gestation and lactation on sow insulin sensitivity, lactation performance, and offspring survival. In total, 20 sows were randomly allocated to an LGG (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). Results: In sows, LGG supplementation significantly improved insulin sensitivity during late gestation and lactation, increased feed intake, milk production and colostrum lactose levels in early lactation, and enhanced newborn piglet survival. Moreover, LGG treatment significantly reshaped the gut microbiota in sows, notably increasing microbiota diversity and enriching the relative abundance of insulin sensitivity-associated probiotics such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacteroides. Serum metabolite and amino acid profiling in late-gestation sows also revealed decreased branched-chain amino acid and kynurenine serum levels following LGG supplementation. Further analyses highlighted a correlation between mitigated insulin resistance in late pregnancy and lactation by LGG and gut microbiota reshaping and changes in serum amino acid metabolism. Furthermore, maternal LGG enhanced immunity in newborn piglets, reduced inflammation, and facilitated the establishment of a gut microbiota. Conclusions: We provide the first evidence that LGG mitigates insulin resistance in sows and enhances offspring survival by modulating the gut microbiota and amino acid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and hyocholic acids (HCA) during late gestation and lactation on reproductive performance, colostrum quality, antioxidant capacity and gut microbiota in multiparous sows. Methods: A total of 60 healthy multiparous cross-bred sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) were randomly fed 4 groups diets as follows: the basal diets (CTRL group), or the basal diets containing only 600  mg/kg GOS (GOS group), 600  mg/ kg GOS  +  100  mg/kg HCA (GOS  +  Low HCA group), and 600  mg/kg  +  200  mg/ kg HCA (GOS  +  High HCA group) from d 85 of gestation to weaning. Multiple parameters of sows were determined. Results: There was a trend of shortening the labor process of sows (p  =  0.07) in the GOS group and GOS  +  Low/High HCA group. Compared with the CTRL group, the GOS  +  Low/High HCA group increased the average piglets weight at birth (p  <  0.05), and increased the IgA concentration of colostrum (p  <  0.05). In addition, serum triglyceride (TG) concentration was lower (p  <  0.05), and serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) was higher (p  <  0.05) in the GOS and GOS  +  Low/High HCA groups than in the CTRL group at farrowing. Serum catalase (CAT) activities was higher in the GOS and GOS  +  High HCA groups than in the CTRL group at farrowing. The 16S rRNA analysis showed that GOS combination with high-dose HCA shaped the composition of gut microbiota in different reproductive stages (d 107 of gestation, G107; d 0 of lactation, L0; d 7 of lactation, L7). At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidota and Desulfobacterota in G107, Bacteroidota, and Proteobacteria in L0, and Planctomycetota in L7 was increased in GOS  +  High HCA group (p  <  0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that Streptococcus was positively correlated with the serum TG but negatively correlated with the average piglets weight at birth (p  <  0.05). Conclusion: This investigation demonstrated that the administration of galactooligosaccharides (GOS) in conjunction with hyocholic acids (HCA), to sows with nutrient restrictions during late gestation and lactation, further improved their antioxidant capacity and milk quality. The observed beneficial effects of GOS  +  HCA supplementation could potentially be linked to an improvement in gut microbiota disorders of the sows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: At present, it is particularly important to reduce costs and improve economic efficiency in farm production. However, in intensive production, the situation of insufficient milk production in sows and the poor growth of piglets has become increasingly serious. In this context, how to increase sow milk production and improve piglet growth is the primary goal of researchers. Some studies have shown that feeding MSG to sows can enhance the growth of newborn pigs, but some researchers suspect that the addition of MSG is not safe for sows. Therefore, this experiment aims to study the impact of MSG on sows and piglets. Our research results prove that MSG is safe and effective, can reduce costs, improve economic benefits, and is suitable for intensive production. In most current farm operations, lactating sows need to overcome reproductive and environmental stresses that have resulted in poor sow production performance and piglet growth. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of in-feed supplementation of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in sows during late gestation lactation in regard to litter performance. The study subjects were 12 multi-parity sows (Landrace × Large White), farrowing sows with an average parity of four (three with three parities, seven with four parities, and two with five parities). They were randomly divided into the following two diet groups: the basal diet as a control (CON) group based on corn and soybean meal; and the basal diet + 2% MSG group. The experimental time ranged from 109 days before delivery to 21 days after delivery. There were six sows in each group, and each sow served as the experimental unit. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in body weight (BW), back fat (BF) thickness and estrus interval between sows supplemented with 2% MSG in their diets before and after farrowing and during weaning (p > 0.05). However, MSG-treated sows tended to increase BW loss at farrowing more than the CON group (p = 0.093) but lost less weight during lactation than the CON group (p = 0.019). There were no significant differences in the body condition scores (BCSs) and BF loss of the two groups of sows before and after farrowing and at weaning (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the weight of newborn piglets between the two groups of sows (p > 0.05). The weaning weight (p = 0.020) and average daily gain (ADG) (p = 0.045) of suckling piglets were higher in the MSG treated group compared to the CON group. The daily milk production of sows in the MSG treatment group was higher compared to the CON group (p = 0.045). The protein concentration of milk at week 3 (p = 0.060) and fat concentration of milk at week 5 (p = 0.095) of the MSG-supplemented sows tended to increase more than the CON group. In summary, the dietary inclusion of MSG supplementation had a beneficial effect on the late gestating sows and their piglet's growth and milk production. Our research has shown that the addition of 2% MSG in late gestation and lactation diet would be beneficial for both sow and piglet production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immediately after birth, newborn piglets fight to establish a teat order. During this process, lesions appear on the piglets' faces and on the sows' teats, which is why tooth resection is carried out on many farms in Germany even though it is known that this procedure is frequently resulting in pulp openings. The opening of a pulp cave is suspected to cause painful tooth alterations and may be an entrance for infectious agents. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of tooth resection on skin lesions, development of bodyweight and behaviour in suckling piglets. Four days prepartum, 110 sows in farrow-to-finish production were assigned to one of three treatments. Litters had their teeth left intact (control group, CG), ground with a tea-cup roller head (Tea-cup head grinder group, TCG, Wilofa Diamant, D-56,133 Fachbach, Germany) or ground with a diamond rolling head (rolling head grinder group, RG, IBS/E Company Proxxon GmbH, 54,343 Föhren, Germany). The number of pulp openings in the RG and TCG was examined using a random sample. Piglet body weight and skin lesion scores were recorded within the first 24 h after birth and during each week of the suckling period. Each sow's udder was examined before farrowing, in the second week of lactation and at weaning. The behaviour of the litters from nine sows was video-recorded throughout the suckling period. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tooth grinding by a tea-cup head (compared to grinding by a diamond roller head and no grinding [control group]) on the behaviour and average daily gain of piglets as well as on skin lesions on sow udder. Results: The number of dental injuries was significantly greater in the RG than in the TCG (p < 0.01). Head lesions on piglets were significantly more common in the CG than in the RG (p = 0. 02). Compared to CG piglets, TCG piglets had a significantly greater weight at the end of the suckling period (p = 0.02). No significant difference between treatments was found in the sows' udder (parenchyma, skin, or teat) or in the behaviour of the litters. Conclusion: As tooth grinding is frequently inducing pulp openings, the necessity of the procedure should be carefully and critically scrutinised. In case tooth resection seems inevitable until the underlying management problems have been solved, the Tea-cup grinding head should be used due to significantly fewer pulp openings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Maintaining the health of sows in pig production poses a persistent and significant challenge that directly impacts sow reproductive performance as well as producer economics. Pectin, a dietary fiber with immense potential, was investigated in this study for its potential to enhance the health of pregnant sows. Throughout gestation, we supplemented the basic diet with 3% of low-ester pectin to examine its potential effects in pregnant sows. We collected and analyzed serum and fecal samples from the sows to evaluate their fecal microbiota, serum metabolites, and cytokines, aiming to provide fundamental data for pectin utilization in animal production. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the dietary fiber pectin on the gut microbiota and health of parturient sows. A total of 30 parity 5–7, multiparous gestation sows (Large White × Landrace) were randomly assigned to two treatment groups after mating: Con (control, basic diet) and Pec (pectin, 3%). The sows received the two diets during gestation, and all sows were fed the same standard basic diet during lactation. The results of β-diversity showed that the composition of the gut microbiota was different in the Con and Pec groups. Compared with the sows in the Con group, the Pec sows showed a higher abundance of the gut bacteria Clostridium and Romboutsia and a lower abundance of harmful bacteria (Micrococcaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Dorea, Actinomyces). On the other hand, the SCFA plasma concentration was increased in the Pec group, while pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α) concentrations were decreased. In conclusion, the soluble dietary fiber pectin could improve the reproductive performance and health of sows by increasing the abundance of some commensal bacteria enhancing the metabolite SCFA levels and reducing the pro-inflammatory cytokine plasma levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premating maternal nutrition is crucial for postweaning follicle growth, thereby influencing piglet birth weight in subsequent litters. The present study investigated the impact of supplementing a carbohydrate-rich premating diet in sows on metabolic hormones, subsequent piglet birth weight and reproductive performance. Sows were distributed into three groups, control (n=42) received standard diets; treatment I (n=41) received the same diets supplemented with 500 g of a carbohydrate-rich premating diet from weaning until insemination; treatment II (n=42) received the same diets supplemented with 500 g of a carbohydrate-rich premating diet from 7 days before weaning until insemination. Blood samples were taken from sows around weaning to measure serum insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin, and blood glucose after feeding. The study found that sows on a carbohydrate-rich diet (treatment II) had higher postprandial glucose (P<0.05) and insulin levels (P=0.06) than others. This diet did not affect overall reproductive performance, but it did increase piglet birth weight and reduce the number of low-birth weight piglets compared to the control (P<0.001) and treatment I groups (P<0.05). Supplementing a carbohydrate-rich premating diet for 7 days before weaning until insemination enhanced postprandial glucose and insulin concentrations in weaned sows. This dietary intervention led to improved subsequent piglet birth weight and reduced the proportion of low-birth weight piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study evaluated the effect of Andrographis paniculata (A. paniculata) supplementation in sow diets before and after farrowing on the sow and piglets' performances during early postpartum period and on sows' backfat and longissimus muscle losses during lactation. Methods: Seventy Landrace×Yorkshire sows and their offspring (1,186 piglets) were distributed into three groups: control (n = 31), treatment-250 (n = 18), and treatment-1000 (n = 21). From 110.2±0.7 days of gestation until farrowing (5.8 days) and throughout the lactation period (25.2 days), sows in the control group were given the conventional lactation diet, while sows in the treatment-250 and treatment-1000 groups received supplements of 250 ppm and 1,000 ppm of A. paniculata, respectively. Results: In sows with parity 3-5, piglets from the treatment-1000 group had higher colostrum intake than the control and treatment-250 groups (p<0.05), but not in sows with parity 6-9. Colostrum immunoglobulin G (IgG) increased in treated sows versus controls for parity 6-9 (p<0.05), but was consistent for parity 3-5. Piglet performance until day 3 postnatal was similar across groups (p>0.05). Treatment-250 sows had higher feed intake post-farrowing than treatment-1000 sows (p<0.05). Longissimus loss was less in both treatment groups than control (p<0.05), but backfat loss was similar across groups (p>0.05). Post-partum complications were consistent across groups (p>0.05). Farrowing duration and piglet birth intervals in sows with parity 6-9 were prolonged in the treatment-1000 group. Conclusion: Supplementing with 1,000 ppm A. paniculata for 5.8 days pre-farrowing and 25.2 days post-farrowing enhanced sow colostrum IgG and piglet colostrum intake, while also reducing longissimus loss in sows. However, for sows of parity 6-9, this supplementation led to prolonged farrowing, increased intervals between piglet births, increased stillbirth, and reduced piglet birth weight. These effects should be considered when using A. paniculata supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Heat stress is a major environmental factor negatively affecting animal health and production efficiency of the sow, and causes significant economic losses to the global pig industry. Researchers have developed various thermal indices with different characteristics for assessing the level of heat stress in pigs, including the temperature–humidity index (THI), black globe–humidity index (BGHI), effective temperature (ET), equivalent temperature index of sows (ETIS), and enthalpy (H), among others. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat stress on reproductive performance by using different thermal indices based on environmental variables in a temperate climate and to compare the goodness-of-fit among them. Methods: In total, 2951 sow reproductive records were analysed for a Puebla farm in the northern hemisphere. Key results: The overall means for pregnancy, farrowing, and abortion rates over the period from January to December 2020 were 83.1%, 80.67%, and 5.2%, whereas temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity were 24.3°C, 63.0%, and 3.7 m/s respectively. The highest rates of pregnancy and farrowing over the study period were observed in March, while the abortion rate was highest in December. However, the mean daily temperatures exceeded 25°C between March and June, being higher the upper limit of the thermoneutral zone for sows. Many thermal indices have been used to estimate the level of heat stress in pigs, such as the THI, BGHI, ET, and ETIS. We used 11 thermal indices to measure the degree of heat stress affecting fertility traits of animals. Pregnancy and farrowing rates were highest for THI2 and THI6 values, reflecting moderate stress at pregnancy and farrowing periods. Statistically significant differences were found between the THI2, THI4, THI6, and ET values and the pregnancy, farrowing, and abortion rates (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results showed that the THI2 performs better for evaluating the level of heat stress in sows than do other thermal-comfort indices such as the THI4, THI6, and ET. Implications: These results may be useful for accurate assessment of heat stress to mitigate its effects and avoid significant economic losses in sows in temperate climates. It is important for those of us responsible for animal welfare and health to improve pig production and avoid economic loss. We used data such as environmental temperature and humidity to determine the best time for a sow to get pregnant with the finest animal-welfare conditions. This information is useful to reduce sow and piglet stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: It is a big challenge to maintain a healthy state in sows during late gestation and lactation, and it directly impacts the performance of both sows and their offspring. Essential oil, consisting of multiple active compounds, is regarded as a promising feed additive. In this study, maternal diets were supplemented with oregano essential oil during late gestation and lactation to investigate its potential effects. We collected and analyzed serum and fecal samples from sows to evaluate performance, serum metabolites, antioxidant capacity and fecal microbiota, aiming to provide valuable insights into the utilization of oregano essential oil in animal production. A total of 20 healthy white × landrace sows were evenly and randomly divided into two groups, and fed basal diets unsupplemented or supplemented with 500 g/t Meriden-Stim® from day 100 of gestation until day 21 of lactation. Serum and fecal samples were collected from the sows on the final day for subsequent analysis. Compared to the control group, there were no significant differences in the sows' performances; however, an increase was observed in the piglets' weight at weaning (p = 0.08). Moreover, oregano essential oil (OEO) significantly reduced the levels of urea (UREA) (p < 0.01), total cholesterol (TC) (p < 0.05), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) (p < 0.05) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p < 0.05) in serum. In terms of antioxidant indexes in serum, the catalase (CAT) and glutathione (GSH) levels showed significant increases (p < 0.05) while the malondialdehyde (MDA) level exhibited a decrease tendency (p = 0.09). 16S rRNA analysis identified the specific bacteria taxa in feces. OEO significantly decreased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria at the phylum level (p < 0.05). At the genus level, OEO significantly increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Prevotellaceae UCG 003 and UCG 005, while decreasing that of Escherichia-Shigella (p < 0.05). Taken together, OEO supplementation in maternal diets during late gestation and lactation improved serum metabolites, antioxidant capacity and regulated the intestinal-flora balance of sows, thereby tending to increase the piglets' weight at weaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Puerarin is an isoflavone extracted from Pueraria mirifica, a wildlife leguminous plant. It has been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties. However, the effects of directly adding puerarin to the diets of sows, in terms of reproductive performance and antioxidant properties, have not been reported. For this study, 240 sows with varying parities were selected and randomly divided into six treatment groups using a two × three experimental design. The six treatment groups consisted of two diets (control and puerarin) and three parities (zero, one, and two parities or more). The puerarin group was supplemented with 1 g/kg of puerarin. The experiment commenced with mating and continued until 21 days post-delivery. The sow reproductive performance was not affected by supplementing their diets with puerarin (p > 0.05). Dietary supplementation with puerarin significantly increased the daily body weight (BW) gain of piglets and their mean BW at weaning (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, sows in the puerarin group had significantly higher glutathione peroxidase activity in serum and also significantly increased immunoglobulin A and G levels in serum, colostrum, and milk, but significantly lower malondialdehyde concentration in serum (p < 0.05). Thus, puerarin improved the immune response and antioxidant capacity of sows and increased the daily BW gain of their offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Accurate estrus detection by farmers is key to successful sow breeding as it offers the opportunity for timely mating, successful reproduction, and increased productivity. Traditional estrus detection methods based on physiological changes, mounting, and back pressure tests often fall short in accuracy, leading to lower conception rates and smaller litters. To address these issues, researchers are exploring modern technologies to study parameters such as vulvar temperature, posture, movement, and sound in relation to estrus. This review examines the effectiveness of these modern estrus detection techniques, and the findings indicate that they can enhance the accuracy of heat detection compared to conventional methods. In animal farming, timely estrus detection and prediction of the best moment for insemination is crucial. Traditional sow estrus detection depends on the expertise of a farm attendant which can be inconsistent, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. Attempts and trials in developing and implementing technological tools to detect estrus have been explored by researchers. The objective of this review is to assess the automatic methods of estrus recognition in operation for sows and point out their strong and weak points to assist in developing new and improved detection systems. Real-time methods using body and vulvar temperature, posture recognition, and activity measurements show higher precision. Incorporating artificial intelligence with multiple estrus-related parameters is expected to enhance accuracy. Further development of new systems relies mostly upon the improved algorithm and accurate data provided. Future systems should be designed to minimize the misclassification rate, so better detection is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Vitamin D3 regulates many biological functions in mammals. One of its classical roles is to maintain calcium homeostasis and improve bone metabolism. The dietary requirement of this vitamin in sows often exceed that required for finishing pigs due to their role in mitigating osteomalacia, also known as soft bone. Commercial variants of this vitamin also exist as 25 hydroxyvitamin D3; however, their function in the reproductive performance of sows is not clearly understood. In this study, two commercial products were compared with regular Vitamin D3 in feeds administered to sows from gestation to lactation. Post-farrowing reproductive performance, serum alkaline phosphatase activity, and 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 concentration were compared. Feed intake, pre-weaning mortality, and the number of weaned piglets differed during lactation. Alkaline phosphatase activity and 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 concentration increased during lactation. This could be caused by an increase in metabolic demand for phosphorus and calcium during lactation. The current finding shows that the use of 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 in sow diets may improve other functions such as bone strength, calcium, and phosphorus homeostasis without necessarily affecting sow reproductive performance. Dietary 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) promotes serum 25(OH)D3 concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP); however, post-farrowing reproductive performance of lactating sows fed with 14-epimer of 25(OH)D3 is uncertain. This study investigated post-farrowing reproductive performance, serum ALP activity, and serum 25(OH)D3 concentration in sows fed VD3, 25(OH)D3, or 14-epi 25(OH)D3. Weaned sows (n = 203) in parities 2 and 3 were blocked weekly and treated with 2000 IU/kg VD3 (T1), 25 μg/kg 25(OH)D3:14-epi 25(OH)D3 (T2), or 50 μg/kg 25(OH)D3 (T3) diets, all equilibrated to 2000 IU/kg as fed. Sow performance, treatment, and sampling period effects were analyzed. Environmental conditions were analyzed as covariates. The number of piglets weaned (p = 0.029), pre-weaning mortality (p = 0.029), sampling period (p < 0.001), and treatment and period interaction (p = 0.028) differed significantly. There was an increase in 25(OH)D3 during lactation due to physiological demands for milk calcium and milk production. Supplementing twice the concentration of 25(OH)D3 compared to its epimer, 25(OH)D3:14-epi 25(OH)D3, had no significant effect on the post-farrowing reproductive performance of lactating sows. The effect of 25(OH)D3 on post-farrowing reproductive performance and ALP activity in sows was influenced by metabolic demand for calcium due to physiological changes during lactation as well as epimer conformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In recent years, stimbiotic supplementation was found to be an innovative nutritional strategy to enhance animal performance, gut health, and immune function. Stimbiotics work by extracting nutrients from dietary fiber, increasing fiber utilization in the distal intestine, and promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a stimbiotic on sow performance, immune function, and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities during late gestation and lactation. In general, stimbiotic supplementation increased the body weight gain of the weaning piglet during the lactation period. Moreover, stimbiotic supplementation may improve the immune function of lactating sows and their piglets by increasing the plasma concentration of IgM at farrowing or the plasma concentrations of IgG and IgA at weaning. Furthermore, stimbiotic supplementation increased the concentration of IgM in the colostrum and of IgM and IgA in the milk at d 14 of lactation. The supplementation of the stimbiotic tended to reduce plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) in sows during lactation. These findings indicated that stimbiotic supplementation could be a potential feed additive for improving the reproductive performance and immunity of sows during lactation. Stimbiotic supplementation may provide an innovative feed additive solution to accelerate the proliferation of beneficial fiber-degrading bacteria in the distal intestine and the utilization of dietary fiber. Optimal utilization of dietary fiber has multiple benefits for gut health and nutrient utilization. This study was conducted to evaluate the late gestation and lactation performance, the plasma, colostrum, and milk immunoglobulin (IgA, IgG, and IgM) concentrations, and the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant biomarkers in plasma of sows fed with or without a stimbiotic during the late gestation and lactation phase. A total of 40 sows were allocated to two treatment groups: control (CT) with no supplementation or 100 mg/kg stimbiotic (VP), with 20 sows per treatment. Sows were fed the treatment diets from d 85 of gestation to d 28 of lactation. In the results, the average daily weight gain of piglets during lactation was greater from sows fed in the VP group compared to that in the CT group (p < 0.05). The plasma concentrations of IgM at farrowing and IgG at weaning of the sows fed the diet with the stimbiotic supplementation were much higher than those in the CT sows (p < 0.05), respectively. In addition, the dietary stimbiotic increased the concentrations of IgM in the colostrum and of IgA and IgM in the milk at d 14 of lactation (p < 0.05). Plasma concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) on d 0 and d 28 of lactation tended to be lower in sows fed the VP diets compared with those of the sows fed the CT diets. Thus, our study indicated that stimbiotic supplementation could improve the daily weight gain of piglets and the immune function of sows in lactation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sows suffer oxidative stress and inflammation induced by metabolic burden during late pregnancy, which negatively regulates reproductive and lactating performances. We previously found that L-malic acid (MA) alleviated oxidative stress and inflammation and improved reproductive performances in sows. However, the mechanism underlying the MA's positive effects remains unexplored. Here, twenty Large White × Landrace sows with similar parity were randomly divided into two groups and fed with a basal diet or a diet supplemented with 2% L-malic acid complex from day 85 of gestation to delivery. The gut microbiome, fecal short-chain fatty acids, and untargeted serum metabolome were determined. Results showed that Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, and Spirochaetota were the top abundant phyla identified in late pregnancy for sows. Maternal MA supplementation modulated the composition but not the richness and diversity of gut microbiota during late pregnancy. Correlation analysis between gut microbiota and antioxidant capacity (or inflammation indicators) revealed that unclassified_f_Ruminococcaceae, unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, UCG-002, norank_f_norank_o_RF3, and Lactobacillus might play a role in anti-oxidation, and Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, UCG-002, unclassified_f_Ruminococcaceae, Candidatus_Soleaferrea, norank_f_UCG-010, norank_f_norank_o_RF39, and unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae might be involved in the anti-inflammatory effect. The improved antioxidant and inflammation status induced by MA might be independent of short chain fatty acid changes. In addition, untargeted metabolomics analysis exhibited different metabolic landscapes of sows in the MA group from in the control group and revealed the contribution of modified amino acid and lipid metabolism to the improved antioxidant capacity and inflammation status. Notably, correlation results of gut microbiota and serum metabolites, as well as serum metabolites and antioxidant capacity (or inflammation indicators), demonstrated that differential metabolism was highly related to the fecal microorganisms and antioxidant or inflammation indicators. Collectively, these data demonstrated that a maternal dietary supply of MA can ameliorate oxidative stress and inflammation in sows through modulating gut microbiota and host metabolic profiles during late pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinecone oil (PO) of Pinus koraiensis mainly contains α‐pinene, β‐pinene, and limonene that may ameliorate animal well‐being and growth performance. This study evaluated its effects on feed intake, milk composition and yield, serum parameters, and litter growth of sows. Twenty‐seven pregnant sows (parity 2–4) were distributed to three dietary treatments. The trial started on Day 107 of gestation and ended on Day 21 of lactation. Sows were given either a basal diet or the basal diet + 200 or 400 mg/kg PO. Each treatment contained nine sows and each sow was considered an experimental unit. Results showed that the average daily gain and weaned body weight of piglets from the sows fed 400 mg/kg PO supplements were higher (p < 0.05) than the piglets from the control sows. Lactose content in colostrum samples and fat content in milk samples were higher (p < 0.05) in 400 mg/kg PO‐treated sows, respectively, than those from the sows fed basal diet. Additionally, cortisol concentration and aspartate aminotransferase concentration in sow serum was lowered (p < 0.05) by 400 mg/kg PO on Day 21 of lactation. In conclusion, supplementation of 400 mg/kg PO during late gestation and lactation contributed to greater offspring growth performance, possibly by enhanced milk quality and alleviated maternal stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the farrowing kinetics of primiparous and multiparous sows belongs to Landly and Landrace breed was observed. The total number of 28 sows were studied comprising of 23 Landly (10 primiparous and 13 multiparous) and 5 Landrace (2 primiparous and 3 multiparous) sows. The farrowing kinetics of sows such a farrowing duration, placental expulsion and birth interval were recorded. During the study period, observed farrowing kinetics was in the normal range and there was no effect of parity and breed on farrowing duration, placental expulsion and birth intervals. Furthermore, Litter size at birth was positively correlated with farrowing duration (0.728), placental expulsion (0.566) and negatively correlated to birth interval (r = -0.493). Placental expulsion was positively correlated (r = 0.432) to farrowing duration. Hence, it was concluded that the parity and breed did not have any effect on farrowing kinetics but affected by the litter size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to investigate the lifespan and breeding use, reproductive qualities, and the level of their discreteness in sows of the large white breed of French breeding, considering their operational value. Agroprime Holding LLC of the Odesa region, the laboratory of innovative technologies, and experimental livestock facilities of the Institute of Pig Breeding and AIP of the National Academy of Sciences carried out the practical part of the work. Evaluation of sows according to indicators characterizing the level of their adaptation and reproductive qualities was carried out taking into account the following characteristics: life expectancy, days; duration of tribal use, days; received farts; all live piglets were born, head.; multifertility, ch.; high fertility, kg.; nest weight at the time of weaning at 28 days, kg; preservation, %. The selection index of reproductive qualities of the sow (SIRQS) was calculated according to the method of O. M. Tsereniuk et al. (2010), the coefficient of discreteness (D) - Seromolot and Sviatchenko (1984). Biometric processing of research results was carried out according to generally accepted methods. It has been established that sows of the large white breed of French breeding, provided they are kept in production premises using innovative technologies, are characterized by high indicators of the level of adaptation and reproductive qualities. Thus, their life span is 905.7 days, the duration of breeding use is 680.6 days, and in terms of reproductive qualities, they belong to the elite class. A significant difference between the groups of experimental animals was established in terms of life expectancy, duration of breeding use, total number of live piglets, multifertility, and litter weight at the time of weaning at the age of 28 days. The maximum indicators of high fertility (1.34 kg) and preservation of piglets until weaning at the age of 28 days (100 %) were found in sows of the "low operational value" category. The coefficient of discreteness of life expectancy and breeding use in sows of I, II, and III experimental groups is equal to 0.406, 0.677, and 0.633, reproductive qualities - 0.828, 0.882, and 0.903, respectively. Coefficients of paired correlation between life span and breeding use of sows and signs of reproductive qualities range from -0.055 to +0.904. The maximum increase in additional production was obtained from sows of the "high operational value" category - +6.80 %, and its value is +355.57 UAH/head/farrowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sex hormones play important roles in the estrus return of post-weaning sows. Previous studies have demonstrated a complex and bi-directional regulation between sex hormones and gut microbiota. However, the extent to which the gut microbiota affects estrus return of post-weaning sows is largely unknown. Results: In this study, we first screened 207 fecal samples from well-phenotyped sows by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and identified significant associations between microbes and estrus return of post-weaning sows. Using metagenomic sequencing data from 85 fecal samples, we identified 37 bacterial species that were significantly associated with estrus return. Normally returning sows were characterized by increased abundances of L. reuteri and P. copri and decreased abundances of B. fragilis, S. suis, and B. pseudolongum. The changes in gut microbial composition significantly altered the functional capacity of steroid hormone biosynthesis in the gut microbiome. The results were confirmed in a validation cohort. Significant changes in sex steroid hormones and related compounds were found between normal and non-return sows via metabolome analysis. An integrated analysis of differential bacterial species, metagenome, and fecal metabolome provided evidence that normal return-associated bacterial species L. reuteri and Prevotella spp. participated in the degradation of pregnenolone, progesterone, and testosterone, thereby promoting estrogen biosynthesis. Furthermore, the microbial metabolites related to sow energy and nutrient supply or metabolic disorders also showed relationships with sow estrus return. Conclusions: An integrated analysis of differentially abundant bacterial species, metagenome, and fecal metabolome revealed the involvement of L. reuteri and Prevotella spp. in sow estrus return. These findings provide deep insight into the role of gut microbiota in the estrus return of post-weaning sows and the complex cross-talk between gut microbiota and sex hormones, suggesting that the manipulation of the gut microbiota could be an effective strategy to improve sow estrus return after weaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted on 21 crossbred Large White Yorkshire sows to assess the effect of flaxseed supplementation on oxidative stress in sows and growth of piglets. All sows were equally allocated into three groups. Group 1 served as the control and followed their normal feeding schedule. Group 2 and group 3, in addition to their normal feeding schedule, were supplemented with flaxseed at a rate of 0.5% and 1.0% of the dry matter, respectively. Blood samples were collected 15 days prior to farrowing, on the day of farrowing (day 0), at weekly intervals until day 28 of lactation and at monthly intervals during gestation to assess the oxidative status in each sow. Body weight and weight gain in each piglet was measured during lactation period. The assessment of oxidative stress in blood was done through estimations of malondialdehyde (MDA), end product of lipid peroxidation. No changes (P>0.05) in MDA concentrations were manifested at any of the days measured during lactation and gestation in sows of all the groups. Similarly, there was no effect of flaxseed treatment on superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in all sows at any of the days measured during lactation period (P>0.05) as well as during gestation period (days 30-90). In the current farrowing, the piglets exhibited a steady increase (P<0.05) in bodyweight as well as weight gain in all groups from day 0 until day 28 of lactation. No effect (P>0.05) of flaxseed fed to sows on litter weight and weight gain was noticed until day 21 of lactation, However, the effect of treatment was evinced on day 28 of lactation compared to control group. In conclusion, flaxseed supplementation had no impact on MDA and SOD concentrations in sows; nevertheless a treatment effect was noticed on body weight and weight gain in piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: In sows, the development of insulin resistance (IR) during late gestation and lactation favours a productive gap associated with low feed intake during lactation, which is reflected in the herd profitability. Therefore, the development of rapid-use tests to diagnose IR on farms will be very useful. Aims: We aimed to validate the triglyceride and glucose (T-G) index as a rapid diagnostic test to diagnose IR in sows during late gestation and lactation. Methods: The homeostatic model to evaluate IR (HOMA-IR) was used as a reference. Sixty sows (farrowing 1–5) were selected for blood sampling during late gestation and lactation. In the total number of samples collected (n = 480), the glucose, insulin, and triglyceride concentrations were determined to estimate the HOMA-IR and T-G index. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine cut-off values for diagnosing IR using the T-G index. Key results: The highest (P < 0.05) values of HOMA-IR and T-G index were found between Day 110 of gestation and Day 3 of lactation, regardless of the farrowing number evaluated. The area under the curve for the T-G index was 0.83 (95% CI 0.78–0.88). The best overall cut-off point for diagnosing IR by using the T-G index was 4.24 (86% sensitivity and 77% specificity). The association between the T-G index and HOMA-IR was 0.68 (P < 0.0001), regardless of the farrowing number and productive stage (late gestation, early lactation, and late lactation). According to the farrowing number and productive stage, the best cut-off points were 4.21 (sensitivity 86% and specificity 73%), 4.20 (sensitivity 83% and specificity 73%), and 4.20 (sensitivity 88% and specificity 92%) for sow's first and fourth farrowing, and late gestation respectively. Conclusions: The T-G index is a reliable field test for IR diagnosis in sows during late gestation and lactation. Implications: The T-G index test evaluated for the diagnosis of IR in sows is an approach that could be significantly exploited at the farm level. This test could become a support tool to maximise the productivity of the sow, since the development of IR could be modulated through zootechnical practices. The low feed intake of the lactating sow associated with insulin resistance (IR) is a key factor to manipulate due to its effects on the productivity and profitability of the herd. By implementing tools at the farm level that help diagnose IR in the sow in the most important periods (late gestation and lactation), nutritional and management strategies could be generated that can reduce the effects of IR and thus maximise sow productivity and profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core body temperature serves as a pivotal physiological metric indicative of sow health, with rectal thermometry prevailing as a prevalent method for estimating core body temperature within sow farms. Nonetheless, employing contact thermometers for rectal temperature measurement proves to be time-intensive, labor-demanding, and hygienically suboptimal. Addressing the issues of minimal automation and temperature measurement accuracy in sow temperature monitoring, this study introduces an automatic temperature monitoring method for sows, utilizing a segmentation network amalgamating YOLOv5s and DeepLabv3+, complemented by an adaptive genetic algorithm-random forest (AGA-RF) regression algorithm. In developing the sow vulva segmenter, YOLOv5s was synergized with DeepLabv3+, and the CBAM attention mechanism and MobileNetv2 network were incorporated to ensure precise localization and expedited segmentation of the vulva region. Within the temperature prediction module, an optimized regression algorithm derived from the random forest algorithm facilitated the construction of a temperature inversion model, predicated upon environmental parameters and vulva temperature, for the rectal temperature prediction in sows. Testing revealed that vulvar segmentation IoU was 91.50%, while the predicted MSE, MAE, and R2 for rectal temperature were 0.114 °C, 0.191 °C, and 0.845, respectively. The automatic sow temperature monitoring method proposed herein demonstrates substantial reliability and practicality, facilitating an autonomous sow temperature monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article investigated the dependence of sow reproductive qualities, suckling piglet growth intensity, consumption of pre-starter feed and their costs for systems of dry and liquid feeding of piglets in the suckling period. It was found that the use of liquid milk replacer resulted in a 7.5% improvement in the preservation of piglets until weaning, a 7.0% increase in their numbers in the nest at that time, a 16. 7% increase in the intensity of their growth, a 17.0% increase in absolute numbers, an 11.8% increase in the weight of the piglets at weaning and a 19.6% increase in the weight of their nest at that time compared to piglet nests where traditional piglet feeding was used. With the liquid feeding method, piglets consumed 5.3 times more prestarter products per head and 4.4 times more per 1 kg of growth, but 62.0% less dry feed. In liquid feeding of suckling piglets, the number of litters with signs of diarrhoea decreased by 15.09%, and the cost of preventing gastrointestinal diseases increased by 51.8%, for their treatment by 40.4%, and the veterinary cost of raising a piglet in the suckling period by 51.2%, the cost per 1 kg growth of suckling piglets increased by 22.4% due to prevention, by 14.3% due to their treatment, and the total cost of medical and preventive measures by 22.0%. In general, the costs for feeding and medical and preventive measures increased by 170.6% per animal and by 130.7% per 1 kg growth compared to dry feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of vitamin K (VK) supplementation on reproductive performance and bone metabolism-related biochemical markers in sows. Methods: Twenty-four Large White×Landrace sows (mean parity 4.04) were randomly assigned to two dietary treatments (NC diet, a basal diet with 0.5 mg/kg of VK3; VK diet, a basal diet with 5 mg/kg of VK3) with twelve replicates per treatment and one sow per replicate according to parity. The experiment started on day 107 of gestation and lasted until day 21 of lactation (weaning). Results: We observed that there were no differences (p>0.05) in average daily feed intake, backfat loss of sows, live piglet number at birth and weaning, average birth weight, average weaning weight, and average daily gain of piglets between two treatments. The apparent total tract digestibility of phosphorus was increased (p<0.05) in VK sows compared with NC sows. The serum bone alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, type I procollagen aminoterminal peptide, and type I procollagen carboxyl-terminal peptide on day of farrowing were higher (p<0.05) in VK sows than in NC sows. The serum phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha on day of weaning were lower (p<0.05) in VK sows compared with NC sows. Conclusion: Therefore, the overall results suggested that increasing dietary VK3 (0.5 to 5 mg/kg) during lactation improved the apparent total tract digestibility of phosphorus and serum bone metabolism biochemical markers in sows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Poland, despite a decline in the pig population, pork consumption invariably remains high. For this reason, it is important to search for a potential reduction in pig production costs. One of the feasible solutions is to use sows of hybrid lines. Currently, several sow lines are available on the Polish market, such as CG36 (Choice Genetics). The aim of this study was to determine the level of reproduction performance in this line considering the effect of parity and farrowing season. Additionally, coefficients of phenotypic correlations between analysed reproduction performance parameters were determined. The experimental material comprised 112 females inseminated with semen of a boar of the Excelium line (Choice Genetics), which produced 336 litters. The investigated population was characterised by a high level of reproduction traits and young age at first farrowing (AFF), while the number of piglets born alive (NBA), the number of piglets weaned per litter (NW), and the number of piglets weaned per sow per year (PWSY) reached high, economically advantageous levels. Primiparous sows produced and reared lower numbers of piglets than multiparous sows, which indicates the need to maintain an adequate herd structure, with a maximum share of gilts at 30%. No effect of the season on values of reproduction traits was found, which shows optimal environmental conditions in the animal housing where the pigs were kept. Dependencies between the analysed traits confirmed the results reported by other authors, where NBA was highly positively correlated with LW, although LW increased with an increase in NBA. No correlations were found between PWSY and the other traits. In turn, the observed coefficients of phenotypic correlations indicate that in order to reduce AFF in CG36 sows, it is necessary to control FI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This in vivo study aimed to investigate the effects of a multi-component mycotoxin-detoxifying agent, containing clays (bentonite, sepiolite), phytogenic feed additives (curcumin, silymarin) and postbiotics (yeast cell wall, hydrolyzed yeast) on the antioxidant capacity, health and reproductive performance of pregnant and lactating sows challenged by mycotoxins. Eighty (80) primiparous sows (mean age 366 ± 3 days) per each of the two trial farms were divided into two groups in each farm: a) T1 (control group): 40 sows received the contaminated feed and b) T2 group (experimental group): 40 sows received the contaminated feed plus the mycotoxin-detoxifying agent, one month before farrowing until the end of the lactation period. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls (CARBS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were evaluated as biomarkers of oxidative stress. Clinical and reproductive parameters were recorded. Our results indicate that the administration of a multi-component mycotoxin-detoxifying agent's administration in sow feed has beneficial effects on oxidative stress biomarkers and can improve sows' health and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic selection has resulted in a considerable increase in litter size, paralleled by an increase in farrowing duration and perinatal mortality. This paper describes some of the physiological changes around farrowing, and how genetic trends and sow management interact with these. Compromised farrowing can be related to nutritional management, or to housing conditions and handling of periparturient sows. Transition diets, for example, can be formulated to support calcium homeostasis and alleviate constipation. The opportunity to express natural behaviours and minimize stress around farrowing can further optimize farrowing conditions and reduce piglet mortality. Loose farrowing systems are part of the answer to the challenges around farrowing; however, current systems do not perform consistently. In conclusion, increased farrowing duration and increased perinatal mortality may to some extent be inevitably related to trends in pig production; however, they can be improved by nutritional measures, housing conditions and farrowing management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Interest towards postbiotics and their beneficial effects on animal health and production is increasing in the era of modern pig farming considering the growth of the cost of raw materials, the demand for increasingly performing animals and, at the same time, the need to de-crease the consumption of antibiotics. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects on the mother and litter of a postbiotic from inactivated and stabilized whole-cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae administered to the sow during gestation, following piglets up to the post-weaning phase. The results suggest that dietary supplementation of inactivated and stabilized whole-cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from yeast culture during the gestation of sows can potentially improve lactation efficiency, mortality of the piglets and antibiotic use during the weaning phase. Results related to the lactation efficiency suggest its possible future role in the so-called "cellular agriculture" that should be investigated. Increasingly hyperprolific sows and the need to reduce antibiotics represent challenges in pig farming. The aim of this work was to determine the effects of a postbiotic obtained from inactivated and stabilized whole-cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, administered during the sow's gestation, on the performance of the mother and litter. Maternal feed intake, productive parameters, colostrum quality and post-weaning piglets' health were assessed, including antibiotic consumption. The trial involved 183 sows, divided into two groups: (1) sows fed with a daily supplementation of postbiotic during gestation (n = 90); (2) sows without any supplement (n = 93). Piglets were followed up at two different post-weaning sites. The lactation efficiency of the treated sows improved by +5.9% (41.3 ± 11.4 vs. 35.4 ± 11.6%; p = 0.011). Lactating piglets' mortality was lower in the treated group (25.1 ± 16.7 vs. 28.8 ± 14.4%; p = 0.048). The same tendency was shown in both the weaning sites, together with a reduced antibiotic consumption in weaning site 1 (0.72 ± 0.25 vs. 1.22 ± 0.30 DDDvet/PCU; p = 0.047). The results suggest the role of this postbiotic administered to the mother in improving the health status of the piglets. Furthermore, lactation efficiency is suggested as an interesting parameter for assessing the efficiency of farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary fiber is a substance that cannot be digested by endogenous digestive enzymes but can be digested by the cellulolytic enzymes produced by intestinal microorganisms. In the past, dietary fiber was considered an anti-nutrient component in diets because it could resist digestion by endogenous enzymes secreted by the intestine and has a negative effect on the digestion of energy-producing nutrients. However, due to its functional properties, potential health benefits to animals, and innate fermentability, it has attracted increasing attention in recent years. There are a plethora of studies on dietary fiber. Evidence suggests that dietary fiber can provide energy for pigs through intestinal microbial fermentation and improve sow welfare, reproductive performance, intestinal flora, and immunity. This is a brief overview of the composition and classification of dietary fiber, the mechanism of action and effects of dietary fiber on reproductive performance, intestinal microorganisms, and the immune index of the sow. This review also provides scientific guidance for the application of dietary fiber in sow production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primiparous sows (n = 50) were used to evaluate the impacts of increasing standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys-to-net energy (NE) ratios on sow performance and nitrogen utilization during a 24-d lactation period. Sows were assigned to one of five diets with equally spaced and increasing SID Lys-to-NE ratios between 2.85 and 5.51 g SID Lys/ Mcal NE. Desired ratios were achieved by blending the two extreme diets in varying proportions using a feeding system with feed blending capabilities and were provided to sows immediately after farrowing until weaning (d 24 ± 0.3). Litters were standardized to 13 ± 1 piglets within 24 h after birth and were not provided creep feed. Nitrogen balances were conducted between d 4 and 7 (NB1), 12 and 15 (NB2), and 20 and 23 (NB3) of lactation, with total urine collection and fecal grab sampling. Contrast statements were used to assess linear and quadratic effects of increasing the SID Lysto- NE ratio. Linear (LBL) and quadratic broken-line and polynomial quadratic models were used to determine the optimum dietary Lys-to-NE ratios for maternal nitrogen retention. The Bayesian information criterion was used to assess best fit. Sow body weight (BW) and backfat depth losses over lactation decreased with increasing dietary SID Lys-to-NE ratio (linear; -19.0 to -5.9 ± 3.7 kg, P = 0.001 and -3.9 to -2.0 ± 0.7 mm, P = 0.003, respectively). No differences were observed for milk nitrogen output (69.3 ± 4.5, 74.2 ± 6.6, 85.6 ± 6.8 g/day for NB1, NB2, and NB3, respectively), overall piglet average daily gain (219 ± 10 g), and piglet BW at weaning (6.33 ± 0.24 kg). Sow average daily feed intake was not influenced by SID Lys-to-NE ratio (5.3 ± 0.2 kg/day) but sow nitrogen intake (linear; P < 0.001) and total nitrogen excretion (urine + feces; linear; P < 0.001) increased with dietary SID Lys-to-NE ratio in all NB periods. Nitrogen retention (linear; P < 0.001) and maternal nitrogen retention (nitrogen intake – nitrogen excretion – milk nitrogen output; P < 0.05) increased with dietary SID Lys-to-NE ratio in all NB periods (-22.8 to -2.7 ± 6.7, 3.6 to 36.3 ± 8.4, and 9.0 to 34.8 ± 6.8 g/d for maternal nitrogen retention in NB1, NB2, and NB3, respectively). The LBL model showed that maternal nitrogen retention was optimized beyond the SID Lys-to-NE ratio limits in NB1 but breakpoints were observed for maternal nitrogen retention at 4.74 and 4.85 g SID Lys/Mcal NE in NB2 and NB3, respectively. Therefore, optimizing the SID Lys-to-NE ratio during specific weeks of lactation could minimize maternal nitrogen losses of primiparous sows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The use of genetic selection in livestock has allowed farmers to enhance the sustainability of their operations by producing animals that require fewer inputs relative to animal outputs. In swine, geneticists have selected for sows that farrow larger litters, which has reduced the feed required per piglet produced. Yet challenges remain with piglet survival from birth to weaning. Utilizing genetic selection to increase the sow teat number may be a strategy to enhance piglet nutrient access and therefore piglet survival. More publicly available data are needed to confirm associations between sow teat traits and piglet weaning traits. Hence, the current study explores the genetic relationships among sow teat traits at farrowing with the number of piglets at weaning and identifies strategies to enhance piglet survival and sustainable pig production. The results suggest geneticists should incorporate the number of functional teats a sow has at farrowing into genetic selection programs to improve piglet survival and animal well-being. The objective was to evaluate the genetics of sow teat and mammary traits at farrowing and at weaning. Data were recorded on 3099 Landrace × Large White F1 sows. Underline traits included the total teat number (TT), the functional teat number (FT), the non-functional teat number (NFT), the damaged teat number (DT), and the number of functional mammary glands (FMG). Variance components were estimated using AIREMLF90. Means for TT, FT, and NFT at farrowing were 14.93, 13.90, and 1.03, respectively. Heritability estimates for TT, FT, and NFT ranged from 0.18 to 0.37, 0.16 to 0.28, and 0.14 to 0.18, respectively. Estimates of heritability for DT and FMG at weaning were 0.03 and 0.06, respectively. Estimated genetic correlations between FT with TT and NFT were 0.68 to 0.78 and −0.19 to −0.57, respectively. Genetic correlation estimates between TT, FT, and NFT with the number weaned were 0.25, 0.50, and −0.38, respectively. An increase of one TT and FT enhanced (p < 0.05) the number weaned by 0.14 to 0.16 and 0.18 to 0.27 piglets, respectively. The results suggest that genetically increasing the number of functional teats on a sow at farrowing would improve the number of piglets at weaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated the effect of on-farm rest period (RP) on carcass composition, meat quality, and stress indicators of culled sows. The study was conducted on 84 Large White × Landrace culled sows, which were divided into seven groups (n = 12) with respect to the duration of the on-farm rest period: no rest period (N-RP) group and 1 to 6 weeks of on-farm rest period (1–6 RP). After completion of the on-farm RP, each group of culled sows was slaughtered and the carcass and meat quality traits were determined. Sows from 6-RP had a significantly higher dressing percentage and backfat thickness and, together with sows from 5-RP, a higher shoulder weight. The highest shoulder percentage was found in the 3-RP and 4-RP groups, while 1-RP had the highest percentage for the belly–rib part. At the same time, RP influenced the final pH values (pH24 SM and pH24 LL) measured in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LT) and in the musculus semimembranosus (SM), as well as drip loss, thawing loss, cooking loss, and tenderness. As far as the stress indicators are concerned, statistical differences between groups were only found in the cortisol level, which was lowest in 6-RP. The results show that RP has a positive effect on meat quality traits and carcass composition. In addition, prolonged RP has a positive effect on the levels of stress indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Valine-to-lysine ratio (V:L) in the diet has been found to affect the placental development of sows, and thus the production performance, but the mechanism is still unclear. Aim: To investigate the effects of the V:L on placental growth and reproductive performance of sow. Methods: Twenty-seven sows (average parities = 5) from 85 days of gestation were randomly assigned into five experimental groups with five ratios of total V:L of 0.75:1, 0.87:1, 0.99:1, 1.11:1, 1.23:1. Litter size was recorded. The placenta and colostrum were collected immediately after farrowing for mRNA analysis. Key results: The results showed that dietary valine increased the sows' placental area and the fetal-to-placental weight ratio (P < 0.05). Dietary valine does not affect the litter size of sows, but significantly reduces the delivery time and accelerates the delivery process. Dietary valine improved the average daily feed intake of the sows in the lactation (P < 0.05) and decreased the number of stillborns (P < 0.05). Additionally, the placental gene expression of LAT1 , 4F2hc , LAT2 , LAT3 , SNAT1 , SNAT2 , and SNAT4 increased in the groups whose diet contained higher V:L ratios (P < 0.01). The increase in the ratio of dietary V:L increased the expression of GLUT1 , GLUT3 and GLUT4 genes in the placenta tissue (P < 0.01). Conclusions: The results suggested that suitable V:L positively affects pregnant and lactating sow's performance. Implications: Therefore, V:L can be adjusted to promote sow reproductive performance and increase production efficiency. The development of the placenta in sows has a significant impact on the growth and development of piglets, ultimately affecting production efficiency. Understanding the factors that contribute to successful placental development is key to improving overall production outcomes. The ratio of valine to leucine affects placental development and results have shown that an appropriate V:L ratio positively affects the reproductive performance of pregnant and lactating sows. Therefore, adjusting the V:L ratio can promote the reproductive performance of sows and increase production efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study was conducted to explore the effects of supplementary feeding of bamboo powder on the physical parameters of sows during the perinatal period of 7 days ± in parturition, including farrow duration, serum biochemical indexes, fecal physicochemical indexes, and microbial flora. Methods: Thirty pregnant sows were randomly divided into three groups: the control group was fed a basal diet, TRE1 group and TRE2 group were fed a basal diet supplemented with 30 g d-1 and 60 g d-1 bamboo powder, respectively. Multiple parameters of sows and offspring piglets were determined. Results: The contents of serum total cholesterol and triglyceride of sows in TRE2 group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The contents of serum malondialdehyde of sows in TRE2 and TRE1 groups were significantly lower than that in control group. The water content of sow feces in TRE2 group was significantly higher than that in control group, and the pH values of sows in TRE2 and TRE1 groups were significantly higher than that in control group. The richness index (Chao) of sow fecal bacterial community in TRE2 group was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the Ace and Sobs indexes tended to be lower than those of the control group. At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota in the feces of sows in TRE2 group was significantly lower than that of the control group, while that of Fusobacteriota in the feces of suckling piglets in TRE2 group tended to be lower than that of the control group. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Tissierella in the feces of sows in TRE2 group was significantly lower than that of the control group while that of Fusobacterium in the feces of suckling piglets in TRE2 group tended to be lower than that of the control group. The relative abundance of Clostridium&lowbar;sensu&lowbar;stricto&lowbar;1, Terrisporobacter, Turicibacter, and Tissierella in the feces of sows in TRE2 group was significantly lower than that of TRE1 group, while while Lactobacillus tended to be higher than that of TRE1 group. Discussion: The results suggested that supplementary feeding 60g d-1 bamboo powder could increase the water content in the feces of sows, reduce the oxidative damage, and tend to reduce the relative abundance of opportunistic pathogenic Fusobacterium for suckling piglets, while it reduced the fecal microbial diversity of sows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The feed intake of sows during lactation is often lower than their needs. High-fiber feed is usually used during gestation to increase the voluntary feed intake of sows during lactation. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of bulky diets on the appetites of sows during lactation have not been fully clarified. The current study was conducted to determine whether a high-fiber diet during gestation improves lactational feed intake (LFI) of sows by modulating gut microbiota. Methods: We selected an appropriate high-fiber diet during gestation and utilized the fecal microbial transplantation (FMT) method to conduct research on the role of the gut microbiota in feed intake regulation of sows during lactation, as follows: high-fiber (HF) diet during gestation (n = 23), low-fiber (LF) diet during gestation (n = 23), and low-fiber diet + HF-FMT (LFM) during gestation (n = 23). Results: Compared with the LF, sows in the HF and LFM groups had a higher LFI, while the sows also had higher peptide tyrosine tyrosine and glucagon-like peptide 1 on d 110 of gestation (G110 d). The litter weight gain of piglets during lactation and weaning weight of piglets from LFM group were higher than LF group. Sows given a HF diet had lower Proteobacteria, especially Escherichia-Shigella, on G110 d and higher Lactobacillus, especially Lactobacillus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus, on d 7 of lactation (L7 d). The abundance of Escherichia-Shigella was reduced by HF-FMT in numerically compared with the LF. In addition, HF and HF-FMT both decreased the perinatal concentrations of proinflammatory factors, such as endotoxin (ET), lipocalin-2 (LCN-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). The concentration of ET and LCN-2 and the abundance of Proteobacteria and Escherichia-Shigella were negatively correlated with the LFI of sows. Conclusion: The high abundance of Proteobacteria, especially Escherichia-Shigella of LF sows in late gestation, led to increased endotoxin levels, which result in inflammatory responses and adverse effects on the LFI of sows. Adding HF during gestation reverses this process by increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus, especially Lactobacillus_mucosae_LM1 and Lactobacillus_amylovorus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is one contributor to recent increases in sow mortality that have been observed in some populations and environments, leading to financial losses and welfare concerns. Methods: With inconsistent previous reports, the objective here was to investigate the role of genetics on susceptibility to POP, using data on 30,429 purebred sows, of which 14,186 were genotyped (25K), collected from 2012 to 2022 in two US multiplier farms with a high POP incidence of 7.1% among culled and dead sows and ranging from 2% to 4% of all sows present by parity. Given the low incidence of POP for parities 1 and >6, only data from parities 2 to 6 were retained for analyses. Genetic analyses were conducted both across parities, using cull data (culled for POP versus another reason), and by parity, using farrowing data. (culled for POP versus culled for another reason or not culled). Results and Discussion: Estimates of heritability from univariate logit models on the underlying scalewere 0.35 ± 0.02 for the across-parity analysis and ranged from 0.41 ± 0.03 in parity 2 to 0.15 ± 0.07 in parity 6 for the by-parity analyses. Estimates of genetic correlations of POPbetween parities based on bivariate linear models indicated a similar genetic basis of POP across parities but less similar with increasing distance between parities. Genome wide association analyses revealed six 1 Mb windows that explained more than 1% of the genetic variance in the across-parity data. Most regions were confirmed in several by-parity analyses. Functional analyses of the identified genomic regions showedapotential roleof severalgenes onchromosomes 1, 3, 7, 10, 12, and14 in susceptibility to POP, including the Estrogen Receptor gene. Gene set enrichment analyses showed that genomic regions that explained more variation for POP were enriched for several terms from custom transcriptome and gene ontology libraries. Conclusion: The influence of genetics on susceptibility to POP in this population and environment was confirmed and several candidate genes and biological processes were identified that can be targeted to better understand and mitigate the incidence of POP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fatty acid (FA) profiles are needed to assess the nutritional quality of sow colostrum and transient milk that may be used in developing milk replacer diets for piglets and their possible use as a functional food or nutraceutical. This study analyzed the FA profiles and compared the FA-based nutritional indices/ratios of colostrum and transient milk from Landrace, Large White, and Landrace × Large White crossbred sows in a swine nucleus breeding farm in the Philippines. Colostrum and transient milk samples were collected by hand within 24 h after parturition and 36-72 h after farrowing, respectively; immediately frozen at -20 °C until analyzed for FA composition by gas chromatography. Among the major FAs with the highest proportions, palmitic acid (C16:0) and linoleic acid LA (C18:2 n-6) were higher in colostrum (20.7% and 25.0%, respectively) than in transient milk (18.7% and 18.8%, respectively). Oleic acid (C18:1 n9c) was higher in transient milk (34.9%) than in colostrum (32.2%). The polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) to saturated FA (SFA) ratio was higher in sow colostrum (0.81:1) than transient milk (0.65:1). However, transient milk had better linoleic acid to a-linolenic acid C18:3 n-3 (LA/ALA) ratio, more balanced omega-6 to omega-3 (n-6/n-3) ratio, slightly lower atherogenicity index (IA= 0.43 vs 0.46) and thrombogenicity index (IT= 0.81 vs 0.85), higher health-promoting index (HPI= 2.33 vs 2.16), and higher hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (h/H= 2.66:1 vs 2.55:1) than colostrum. Both colostrum and transient milk from Large White sows had lower IA and IT values and higher PUFA/SFA ratio, HPI, and h/H ratio compared to Landrace sows. Crossbred sows had colostrum and transient milk with lower average IT than purebred sows. The PUFA/SFA ratio, HPI, and h/H ratio in colostrum were also higher for crossbred sows than for purebred sows. In conclusion, colostrum from crossbred sows may be used in the preparation of milk replacer formulations for piglets, while transient milk, especially from Large White sows, may be considered in the development of sow milk - based supplements in the human diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy and metabolic state of sows will alter considerably over different phases of gestation. Maternal metabolism increases dramatically, particularly in late pregnancy. This is accompanied by the development of an increase in oxidative stress, which has a considerable negative effect on the maternal and the placenta. As the only link between the maternal and the fetus, the placenta is critical for the maternal to deliver nutrients to the fetus and for the fetus' survival and development. This review aimed to clarify the changes in energy and metabolism in sows during different pregnancy periods, as well as the impact of maternal oxidative stress on the placenta, which affects the fetus' survival and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal gut microbiota is an important regulator for the metabolism and immunity of the fetus during pregnancy. Recent studies have indicated that maternal intestinal microbiota is closely linked to the development of fetus and infant health. Some bacterial metabolites are considered to be directly involved in immunoregulation of fetus during pregnancy. However, the detailed mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we exploited the potential correlation between the gut microbiota of pregnant sows and the occurrence of stillborn piglets by combining the 16S rRNA gene and metagenomic sequencing data, and fecal metabolome in different cohorts. The results showed that several bacterial species from Bacteroides, potential pathogens, and LPS-producing bacteria exhibited significantly higher abundances in the gut of sows giving birth to stillborn piglets. Especially, Bacteroides fragilis stood out as the key driver in both tested cohorts and showed the most significant association with the occurrence of stillborn piglets in the DN1 cohort. However, several species producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as Prevotella copri, Clostridium butyricum and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were enriched in the gut of normal sows. Functional capacity analysis of gut microbiome revealed that the pathways associated with infectious diseases and immune diseases were enriched in sows giving birth to stillborn piglets. However, energy metabolism had higher abundance in normal sows. Fecal metabolome profiling analysis found that Lysophosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylethanolamine which are the main components of cell membrane of Gram-negative bacteria showed significantly higher concentration in stillbirth sows, while SCFAs had higher concentration in normal sows. These metabolites were significantly associated with the stillborn-associated bacterial species including Bacteroides fragilis. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), IL-1β, IL-6, FABP2, and zonulin had higher concentration in the serum of stillbirth sows, indicating increased intestinal permeability and pro-inflammatory response. The results from this study suggested that certain sow gut bacterial species in late trimester of pregnancy, e.g., an excess abundance of Bacteroides fragilis, produced high concentration of LPS which induced sow pro-inflammatory response and might cause the death of the relatively weak piglets in a farrow. This study provided novel evidences about the effect of maternal gut microbiota on the fetus development and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the results of studying the interdependence between indicators of reproductive qualities of sows, indicators of growth of pigs, during fattening. In addition, the results of the experiment determined the dependence of the level of fatness of piglets on the term of their suckling period. It was proven that when the duration of lactation is reduced by 7 days, their preservation improves, due to which their number in the nest before weaning increases. At the same time, in the case of premature weaning of piglets, no difference was found with sows with the traditional duration of the suckling period in terms of the total number of piglets born, multifertility, high fertility and litter weight of piglets at birth. While the shorter period of lactation of sows led to a decrease in the growth intensity of piglets in the post-weaning period and to a decrease in the absolute growth and individual weight of piglets and the weight of their nests at weaning. When piglets were weaned earlier from sows, they exhibited lower growth intensity during rearing, consumed relatively less feed, and had poorer payment for feed in the form of gain and consequently lower weight at the end of the rearing period compared to counterparts with a traditional duration of the suckling period. At the same time, no significant difference was found between piglets of the control groups in the parameters of piglet survival and absolute growth. The fattening qualities of pigs did not depend on the length of their suckling period. A 7-day reduction in the lactation period contributed to a reduction in the duration of the reproductive cycle from 150 to 143 days. This made it possible to obtain 0.12 more farrowings from each sow per year and to use each pen for farrowing sows 25.3% more often. What made it possible due to the intensification of the use of farrowing space, the intensification of the use of the sow and the reduction of the feed cost of her maintenance to obtain additional cost savings per sow during the year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 105 sows (Line 241, DNA, Columbus, NE) were used across four batch farrowing groups to evaluate the effects of feeding a feed flavor in lactation diets on sow and litter performance. Sow groups 1 and 2 farrowed in an old farrowing facility during the summer months and groups 3 and 4 farrowed in a new farrowing facility during the winter months. Sows were blocked by body weight (BW) within parity on days 110 of gestation and allotted to 1 of 2 dietary treatments. Dietary treatments were a standard corn–soy-based lactation diet (control) or the control diet with the addition of a feed flavor at 0.05% of diet (Krave AP, Adisseo, Alpharetta, GA, USA). Farrowing facility environment had a large impact and resulted in many interactions with the feed flavor treatment. From farrowing to weaning, sows fed the feed flavor in the old farrowing house tended to have a higher (P  = 0.058) lactation feed intake, while no difference in average daily feed intake (ADFI) was observed in the new farrowing house. Pigs weaned from sows fed with the feed flavor in the old farrowing facility had a higher (P  = 0.026) BW at weaning and piglet average daily gain (ADG) from day 2 to weaning (P  = 0.001) compared to piglets from sows not fed with the feed flavor; whereas the opposite occurred in the new farrowing house. Progeny from one farrowing group in the old farrowing facility was followed into the nursery. A total of 360 weaned pigs (DNA 241 × 600: initially 5.7 kg) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial in the nursery portion of the study to evaluate the effects of previous sow feed flavoring treatment (control vs. flavor) and nursery diets formulated with or without a feed flavor on growth performance in a 38-d trial. Nursery treatments were either a control diet or a diet containing a feed flavor (Delistart #NA 21, Adisseo). Offspring from sows fed with the flavor diet were heavier at weaning (P  < 0.001) which was maintained throughout the study. Overall, progeny from sows fed with a diet containing a feed flavor had greater (P  < 0.05) ADG, ADFI, and final BW during the trial. The presence of a feed flavor in the nursery did not improve overall nursery performance. In conclusion, when sow lactation feed intake was increased in the old farrowing house, pigs weaned from sows fed with the flavor diet were heavier (P  = 0.039) at weaning compared to pigs weaned from sows fed with the control diet. Adding the feed flavor increased sow feed intake and piglet ADG in a warm environment, but not in a cool environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work was to compare reproduction parameters of sows housed in two different technologies. The sows were of the same genotype (Prestice Black Pied breed). A total of 69 sows with mixed parity were used, 29 sows were housed in technology A and 40 sows in technology B. Technology A: individual housing in farrowing crates with fixation of sow during lactation period, pens were equipped with a separate feeder for piglets and sow, floor was partially concrete and slatted (plastic grates). Technology B: farrowing pens with separate space for piglets, sow without fixation, floor was partially slatted and equipped with plastic grates. Technology B allows movement of the sow during lactation period, piglets are 2 days after birth restricted in movement throughout the pen. The system of sow feeding was the same in both technologies, access to water was unlimited for both the sow and piglets during the lactation period. Piglets were weaned at 28 ±1 day of age. The stables were permanently monitored by camera system. Parameters of reproduction efficiency were monitored during lactation period in each sow: number of total born piglets, number of live born piglets, number of weaned piglets, piglet loses from birth to weaning, cause of piglet losses. The number of total born piglets/litter was 11.00 ± 2.22 in technology A and 10.44 ± 2.69 in technology B (P>0.05). Piglet losses were at the level 8.12 % in technology A and 8.19 % in technology B. There were not found statistically significant differences in monitored reproduction parameters between technology A and B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the most accurate and reliable technique for analysis of gene expression. Endogenous reference genes (RGs) have been used to normalize qPCR data, although their expression may vary in different tissues and experimental conditions. Verification of the stability of RGs in selected samples is a prerequisite for reliable results. Therefore, we attempted to identify the most stable RGs in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in sows. Methods: The cycle threshold values of nine commonly used RGs (18S, HPRT1, GAPDH, RPL4, PPIA, B2M, YWHAZ, ACTB, and SDHA) from HPG axis-related tissues in the domestic sows in the different stages of estrus cycle were analyzed using two RG-finding programs, geNorm and Normfinder, to rank the stability of the pool of RGs. In addition, the effect of the most and least stable RGs was examined by normalization of the target gene, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), in the hypothalamus. Results: PPIA, HPRT1, and YWHAZ were the most stable RGs in the HPG axis-related tissues in sows regardless of the stages of estrus cycle. In contrast, traditional RGs, including 18S and ACTB, were found to be the least stable under these experimental conditions. In particular, in the normalization of GnRH expression in the hypothalamus against several stable RGs, PPIA, HPRT1, and YWHAZ, could generate significant (p<0.05) elevation of GnRH in the preovulatory phase compared to the luteal phase, but the traditional RGs with the least stability (18S and ACTB) did not show a significant difference between groups. Conclusion: These results indicate the importance of verifying RG stability prior to commencing research and may contribute to experimental design in the field of animal reproductive physiology as reference data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Black pigs are the most competitive hogs in Taiwan as they have a higher price than commercial non-black hogs due to their desirable meat quality for locals, and they have accounted for 15% of Taiwan's hog production since 2011. However, the litter sizes before the weaning of local black sows are much smaller than those of maternal breeds such as Landrace and Yorkshire, which are commonly used in Taiwan. Herd productivity is highly influenced by dam litter size and piglet weight before weaning. The KHAPS Black Pig was registered as a new breed in Taiwan in 2010 and was designed as a maternal line for black hog production. The direct–maternal genetic effects on litter size and piglet weight were tested for selection efficiency. The direct–maternal genetic correlation had a great impact on the prediction of maternal breeding value. Therefore, it is crucial to estimate the direct–maternal genetic parameters of litter size and piglet weight to assist future selection decisions for the genetic progress of this new breed. The objective of this study was to estimate the genetic parameters of litter size and piglet weight from farrowing to weaning in KHAPS Black sows. The genetic parameters investigated were the direct (h2d), maternal (h2m), realized (h2r), and total (h2T) heritability, as well as correlations (rd, rm, and rdm) within and between traits. The analyses were performed using single- and three-trait animal models with and without maternal genetic effects. In the three-trait model with maternal genetic effect, all estimates of h2d and h2m were significantly different from zero except the h2d of mean birth weight. Positive values of rd and rm between traits were observed as expected in the range of 0.322–1.000. Negative values of rdm were found within and between traits and were less associated with mean piglet weight traits than litter size traits. Estimates of h2T were consistently larger than those of h2r in both the single- and three-trait model analyses. In addition, the three-trait model can take into account the association between the traits, so the estimates are more accurate with smaller SEs. In conclusion, maternal genetic effects were not negligible in this study, and thus, a multiple-trait animal model with maternal genetic effects and full pedigree is recommended to assist future pig breeding decisions in this new breed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since sow backfat thickness (BFT) is highly correlated with its service life and reproductive effectiveness, dynamic monitoring of BFT is a critical component of large‐scale sow farm productivity. Existing contact measures of sow BFT have their problems including, high measurement intensity and sows' stress reaction, low biological safety, and difficulty in meeting the requirements for multiple measurements. This article presents a two‐dimensional (2D) image‐based approach for determining the BFT of pregnant sows when combined with the backfat growth rate (BGR). The 2D image features of sows extracted by convolutional neural networks (CNN) and the artificially defined phenotypic features of sows such as hip width, hip height, body length, hip height–width ratio, length–width ratio, and waist–hip ratio, were used respectively, combined with BGR, to construct a prediction model for sow BFT using support vector regression (SVR). Following testing and comparison, it was shown that using CNN to extract features from images could effectively replace artificially defined features, BGR contributed to the model's accuracy improvement. The CNN‐BGR‐SVR model performed the best, with R2 of 0.72 and mean absolute error of 1.21 mm, and root mean square error of 1.50 mm, and mean absolute percentage error of 7.57%. The results demonstrated that the CNN‐BGR‐SVR model based on 2D images was capable of detecting sow BFT, establishing a new reference for non‐contact sow BFT detection technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social relationships are important aspects of the behavioural biology of pigs and can be affected by the type of housing pigs are kept in. Exploring agonistic interactions and affiliative behaviours can reveal effects on adult pigs and their descendants. This research investigated the social dynamics among gilts throughout pregnancy during collective feeding in an outdoor housing system and the effects of these dynamics on the stability of the group and the offspring of the group members. For this study, 15 gilts were oestrus synchronised and artificially inseminated with three different semen pools. The paddocks where the gilts were housed contained a mud pool, natural tree shade, and two nipple drinkers. Two daily meals (∼2.5 kg/day/gilt) were provided to the group on the floor. Feeding behaviour was recorded for three continuous days (20 min in the morning and again in the afternoon) every gestational (a total of 42 h of video recording). Saliva samples were collected at 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on these same days. A trained observer evaluated all the videos using Boris software to determine agonistic and affiliative behaviours. After farrowing, the piglet data collected included sex, mortality, and body weight (BW) at 10, 25, 29, and 36 d of age. Elo scores were calculated to quantify the relative hierarchy among the gilts based on the behaviour assessment. Generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used for data analyses, and the significance of fixed effects was determined at p < 0.05. The tendency of the gilts to feed together decreased as gestation progressed. Heavier gilts had lower salivary cortisol concentrations, and higher gilt rank was correlated with higher morning salivary cortisol concentrations and heavier piglets. Maternal modulation of offspring performance in pigs warrant further investigation. Assessment of gilts' social feeding behaviours is relevant for considering pigs' behaviour in genetic selection and improving commercial facilities and management practices to improve animal welfare. • A higher gilt rank was positively correlated with heavier piglets. • The behavior of collective feeding decreases as pregnancy progresses. • There was little change in hierarchical stability throughout pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of selenium benefits on the physiological responses, litter performance, blood profiles and milk composition of lactating sows and tissue concentration of their progeny when mixed form of selenium was provided in a lactation diet. Methods: A total of 45 multiparous sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) with similar body weight, backfat thickness, and parity were assigned to one of three treatments with 15 sows per treatment in a completely randomized design. Organic and inorganic selenium were mixed and added to the diet at 0.15 ppm and 0.25 ppm, respectively. A non-Se-fortified corn-soybean meal basal diet served as a negative control. Treatments were as follows: i) Control: corn-soybean meal based diet, ii) ISOS15: control+ inorganic Se 0.15 ppm+organic Se 0.15 ppm, iii) ISOS25: control+inorganic Se 0.25 ppm+organic Se 0.25 ppm. Results: Serum selenium concentrations of sows and piglets were increased by the supplemental Se mixture at 7 days of lactation compared with the control (p<0.01, respectively). The kidney and muscle selenium concentrations of piglets were increased by the supplemental Se mixture at 21 days of lactation compared with the control (p = 0.03; p = 0.04, respectively). Conclusion: Consequently, supplementation with mixed inorganic and organic selenium in a lactating diet could improve the selenium status of sows and piglets; no differences were observed among the mixing levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]