Swine Morsels
Swine Morsels VI
Feeding in gestation for more muscle capability-
Published: Jan. 28, 2006
Monte asks: Should I be feeding more in early gestation - - perhaps on farms with less than desirable totalborn numbers? ALL of my clients limit feed early to some extent and some farms are smokin'. What are your latest thoughts on this question? Dr. Dritz (KSU) responds: >>> We recommend feeding 4 lb/d for the first 48 to 72 hr after breeding. This is based on the Foxcroft - Alberta groups work showing that high feed intakes during the first 48 to 72 hr after breeding drive down progesterone levels and lead to higher embryo mortality. We then recommend feeding a sufficient level to get the sow back into condition over the next 4 to 5 weeks. This is based on some Frank Aherne data indicating that getting sows back into condition during the first 35 days of gestation improves farrowing rate. Also during the d 20 to 40 period of gestation is when muscle differentiation occurs. Some work from England indicates high levels of feed intake during this period lead to improved muscle development and improved leanness and feed efficiency in the offspring. Then to throw a wrench into things, we have recently completed an experiment where based on body weight and back fat at breeding we set the box once and left it for the entire gestation period. There was no difference in subsequent farrowing performance compared to a control group which was phase fed during gestation. Therefore, my conclusion is the nutrition during gestation probably gets more credit than it deserves and that you can have good reproductive performance with a variety of programs. The recommendation to allow sows a slightly positive energy balance during the first 3 to 4 weeks of gestation has been made recently. It seems the extra energy may help develop more uniform embryos in the womb. Development differences at present are blamed for the loss of about 30% of fertilized eggs in the first month of pregnancy, although this is an average across all herds.