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Maternal nutrition is vital for prenatal development and for piglet survival around parturition but may also be important for long-term growth. A total of 21 multiparous sows in 2 series, with 13 and 8 sows, respectively, were fed standard gestation and lactation diets supplied with 25 g arginine/d (ARG; n = 11) or isonitrogenous amounts of alanine (CON; n = 10) from d 30 of gestation to d 28 of lactation (weaning). Colostrum intake of individual piglets was determined based on piglet birth weight, weight gain (0–24 h), and duration of suckling in the colostrum period (0–24 h). At weaning, all piglets were weighed (n = 264) and the largest and the smallest pig (minimum of 5.0 kg) of each gender from each litter were selected from 13 litters (first series of sows) for further study (n = 52). Pigs were ad libitum fed from weaning until 140 d of age in pens comprising the 4 littermates. The MIXED procedure of SAS was used to estimate effects of dietary treatment, sex, piglet colostrum intake, and birth weight on pre- and postweaning growth. Piglet birth weight and preweaning growth were not affected by dietary treatment (P > 0.10). Postweaning ADG of ARG pigs was increased compared with that of CON pigs (P = 0.01). Piglet colostrum intake was positively related to preweaning (P < 0.001) and postweaning growth (P < 0.05), emphasizing the importance of colostrum on growth. Piglet birth weight was not related to pre- and postweaning ADG (P > 0.10) when piglet colostrum intake was taken into account. In conclusion, long-term growth performance was related to maternal arginine supplementation and piglet colostrum intake.

Arginine can be converted into the vasoactive metabolite nitric oxide and may, consequently, increase mammary blood flow, and arginine was, therefore, hypothesized to increase the output of nutrients in mammary secreta. Sows were supplemented with an additional 25 g arginine/d (ARG; n = 11) or isonitrogenous amounts of alanine (CON; n = 10) from d 30 of gestation until weaning on d 28 of lactation (in 2 blocks). Piglets were weighed 0, 12, 24, and 36 h after birth of the first piglet and on d 2, 7, 14, 21, and 28 in lactation for estimation of colostrum and milk intake. Colostrum samples obtained at 0, 12, 24, and 36 h after parturition and milk from sows on d 3, 10, 17, and 24 of lactation were analyzed for macrochemical composition. Also, the content of IGF-I was determined in colostrum. Arginine supplementation decreased lactose and increased DM content of colostrum (P < 0.05), whereas no effect on colostrum or milk yield, piglet weight, piglet ADG, or fat content of colostrum and milk was observed (P > 0.10). Concentration of protein and IGF-I tended to be increased in ARG-fed sows. In conclusion, arginine supplementation of sows during gestation and lactation affected macrochemical composition of colostrum but not the yield of colostrum or yield and composition of milk.

Dietary fiber given during pregnancy may influence sow endocrinology and increase piglet BW gain during early lactation. The aim of the current study was to determine whether dietary fiber given to sows during late pregnancy induces endocrine changes that could modulate sow colostrum production and, thus, piglet performance. From d 106 of pregnancy until parturition, 29 Landrace x Large White nulliparous sows were fed gestation diets containing 23.4 [high fiber (HF); n = 15] or 13.3% total dietary fiber [low fiber (LF); n = 14]. In the HF diet, wheat and barley were partly replaced by soybean hulls, wheat bran, sunflower meal (undecorticated), and sugar beet pulp. After parturition, sows were fed a standard lactation diet. Colostrum production was estimated during 24 h, starting at the onset of parturition (T0) and ending at 24 h after parturition (T24) based on piglet weight gains. Jugular blood samples were collected from sows on d 101 of pregnancy, daily from d 111 of gestation to d 3 of lactation, and then on d 7 and 21 of lactation (d 0 being the day of parturition). Postprandial kinetics of plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were determined on d 112 of pregnancy. The feeding treatment did not influence sow colostrum yield (3.9 +/- 0.2 kg) or piglet weight gain during the first day postpartum to d 21 of lactation. Colostrum intake of low birth weight piglets (< 900 g) was greater in litters from HF sows than from LF sows (216 +/- 24 vs. 137 +/- 22 g; P = 0.02). Preweaning mortality was lower in HF than LF litters (6.2 vs. 14.7%; P = 0.01). Circulating concentrations of progesterone, prolactin, estradiol-17 beta, and cortisol were not influenced by the treatment. Sows fed the HF diet had greater postprandial insulin concentrations than LF sows (P = 0.02) whereas the postprandial glucose peak was similar. At T24, colostrum produced by HF sows contained 29% more lipid than colostrum produced by LF sows (P = 0.04). Immunoglobulin A concentrations in colostrum were lower at T0 and T24 (P = 0.02) in HF than LF sows (at T0: 8.6 +/- 1.1 vs. 11.9 +/- 1.1 mg/mL; at T24: 2.5 +/- 0.7 vs. 4.8 +/- 0.7 mg/mL). In conclusion, dietary fiber in late pregnancy affected sow colostrum composition but not colostrum yield, increased colostrum intake of low birth weight piglets, and decreased preweaning mortality, but these effects were not related to changes in peripartum concentrations of the main hormones involved in lactogenesis.

Session 13A. Sow nutrition to cope with increased reproductive potential; absent

Postpartum hypogalactia has been suggested to be related to an impaired secretion of prolactin or to elevated concentrations of progesterone around farrowing. In the current study, peripartum circulating concentrations of prolactin and progesterone were determined in 50 multiparous sows (parities 1 to 5) and related to the Na K 1 ratio and lactose in colostrum and to piglet growth in early lactation. An effect of parity (PB0.001) was observed for prolactin, with sows from parity 1 having lower concentrations than sows from parities 2, 3, 4 and 5, and sows from parities 4 and 5 having the greatest concentrations. Piglet growth from day 1 to day 5 was negatively correlated with progesterone concentrations in sows on day 1 (r 0.36, P 0.01). The present study supports the hypothesis of a negative impact of high concentrations of progesterone after farrowing on early growth of piglets and also shows a clear effect of sow parity on the peripartum concentrations of prolactin suggesting that younger sows are more vulnerable to reduced milk yield due to lower prolactin concentrations., Des concentrations trop basses de prolactine ou trop élevées de progestérone en péripartum sont des causes potentielles d'hypogalactie chez la truie. Dans le présent projet, les concentrations sanguines de prolactine et de progestérone autour de la mise bas ont été mesurées chez 50 truies multipares (parités 1 à 5) et les relations avec le lactose et le ratio Na K−1 dans le colostrum, ainsi que la croissance des porcelets en début de lactation ont été étudiées. Il y avait un effet de parité sur les concentrations de prolactine (P

International audience; Voluntary feed intake in sows after parturition may be related to the capacity of the sow to cope with the numerous changes occurring around farrowing. This experiment was undertaken to investigate whether the feed intake during lactation was related to the reactivity of the sow during gestation and plasma Trp and cortisol concentrations. On d 58 of pregnancy, 37 sows were individually placed in a novel environment, and their behavior was observed during a 5-min open-field test. This test allowed the selection of 12 reactive (R) and 8 nonreactive (NR) sows for the study. Sows were fed 3 kg of a standard gestation diet/d before farrowing and a standard lactation diet ad libitum thereafter. The behavioral reactivity of sows when a human touched their neck in the farrowing crate was evaluated on d 72 of gestation, and their behavior during farrowing was analyzed. Sows were catheterized on d 70 of gestation, and blood samples were taken after an overnight fast on d 37 before farrowing, daily during the week before and the week after parturition, and on d 14 and 21 of lactation for plasma Trp and cortisol determination. The NR sows were less reactive to human contact (P = 0.02), had a shorter farrowing duration (P = 0.02), and tended to have a shorter birth interval between piglets (P = 0.09) than the R sows. Feed intake was greater for the NR sows than for the R sows during wk 1 of lactation (P = 0.02), as well as during the whole lactation (P = 0.03). Plasma cortisol concentration was maximal on the day after farrowing (P = 0.01) and returned to basal concentration within 4 d postpartum. No relationship was observed between sow behavior and plasma concentration of cortisol. For both groups of sows, plasma concentrations of Trp between d 2 and 4 postpartum were less than during gestation (P < 0.05). The NR sows had decreased plasma Trp concentrations compared with the R sows during wk 1 of lactation (P = 0.02). A low reactivity during gestation was associated with behavior of the sow that was favorable to piglet survival during farrowing, increased feed intake, and decreased plasma Trp concentration during wk 1 of lactation. Further research is needed to elucidate whether Trp or Trp metabolites are related to reactivity and ADFI of the reproducing sow.

National audience