In the starter diet 4-5 days after birth replace an equivalent
amount of the fat or vegetable oil currently in the diet with LIN
PRO. Include LIN PRO at 15% of the baby pig diet and include in
the diet until at least 2 weeks after weaning or longer, depending
on when the pigs are placed on grower diets.
For more recommendations please contact your distributor for professional
assistance from the Prairie Feed Resource Centre, University of
Saskatchewan, Canada.
The following partial reproduction is from Tim Safranski, University
of Missouri.
“Keeping sows comfortable especially in the early days after
breeding, can reduce embryonic death loss. Reducing stress, especially
during the first 14 days after gestation, helps sows retain more
of the fertilized eggs.
Far more eggs are fertilized than survive to live birth. Special
care can make a difference in increasing the survival of the fertilized
eggs.
A sow normally produces about 20 eggs however, hog farm records
in North America show the average litter size at birth is 11 pigs
and by weaning time that average is down to 8.8 pigs/litter. Accordingly,
the biggest loss is an unseen loss. These embryonic deaths are
never noticed.
Many kinds of stress reduce the embryonic survival rate. Stress
results from improper diet, too much heat, fighting and disease.
Fighting, for example can reduce litter size even if there is
no physical injury. This is because fighting induces a sudden
shift in the sow’s hormonal balance.
The hormone progesterone is most responsible for maintaining
pregnancy. However, when fighting, cortisol hormone levels can
go up. That could in turn lower progesterone, causing loss of
embryos.
Fights are most likely to occur if the sows are mixed in a pen
right after breeding. In a group, sows fight to establish the
social order and determine the boss sow.
Putting newly bred sows in individual crates can reduce physical
activity and stress and since keeping sows in crates for 30 days
gets them through the most critical stage of early pregnancy 45
days would even be better.
If sows are grouped then keep the groups small.
Even the first 10 minutes after breeding can be critical. Let
the sow stand quietly, alone for a few minutes and give her time
to know that she has been inseminated. A change in sow diet is
also needed on the day of breeding. During the nursing phase sows
should be on a high energy diet to produce milk for their pigs
however, when weaned and rebred the sows should be put on a reduced
energy diet that is especially important during the first 4 days
of gestation. Nutrients from the high energy ration must be processed
by the sow increasing the blood flow through the liver. That in
turn increases the chances for the liver to filter out more progesterone
needed to maintain pregnancy. Less feed reduces the work for the
liver and keeps progesterone levels high.
Heat stress is especially harmful to early attachment of the
embryo to the wall of the uterus. That is one reason why conception
rates go down during the summer months.”
