How much does a sow really eat? Or, more specifically, how much does each sow really eat? We have been thinking about and researching this very question by looking into variation in sow herds, where the gaps are, and where we have opportunities to formulate and feed differently.
A Brief Background
Usually, diets are formulated to an “average” sow — maybe a parity three with 17 total born, for example. Through data analysis completed by Dustin Boler, Ph.D. and Carthage’s Director of Research, we have found that only about 6.7% of sows were “average.” We also found that gilts tend to have a lower feed intake, by around 25%, than older parity animals.
“We know that most sow farms can only feed one lactation diet,” added Casey Neill, Carthage Nutritionist “so we have to decide which group you target to feed to. Do you go with the ‘average’ that isn’t really the average? Or do you feed specific to a certain parity or age?”
The Proof is in the Pudding
We have been researching this very question with a focus on amino acids. “Our research has shown that increasing amino acids in the lactation diet is responsible for better milk production, which correlates with a higher weaning weight of those baby pigs and a better breed back in your sows,” noted Neill.
Because of this research, and knowing that we can’t get all the parities to eat the same, we are trying out feeding the younger animal that has the lower feed intake, because that is around 30% of the population and the future of the herd. This meant increasing the percentage of amino acids to accommodate the intake of the first lactation gilts.
“So far, we have seen very positive results in keeping those animals producing, maintaining body condition and, therefore, good breed-back rates and weaning heavier pigs,” concluded Neil.
We know there are more questions to be answered: How does this affect longevity? What other ingredient shifts would be beneficial? Where is the sweet spot on inclusion rates? We still have much research and learning to do to answer outstanding questions on variation management, this research though is a step in the right direction for discovering more answers around better sow nutrition.
A Multifaceted Approach
Many factors must work together for optimal health and performance on your sow farms. This forward-thinking research has shown positive potential, and we are still investigating other questions — but a different diet formulation for gilts can’t be effective without balancing it with good management practices.
● Ingredients, not just specs. Specs are important, but how you build the diet to reach those specs is just as important. You can build the best diet in the world, but if they don’t eat it or the ingredients aren’t as digestible, it won’t move the needle on your performance metrics.
● Body condition. During gestation, pay close attention to gilt body condition. Over- or under-conditioned animals tend to have more issues during farrowing and can have even more variation in feed intake.
● Placement. Intentionally place the gilts together in the farrowing rooms. Draw attention to them by centering them in the room, so they are the first rows observed when you walk into each farrowing room. Gilts are typically grouped together in gestation, either together in a gestation pen or in the same place in the gestation snake. It is an easy transition for team members loading the farrowing rooms to place them together. Strategic loading helps monitors easily identify them and be on guard for farrowing complications, and ensure the gilts are learning where feed and water are located.
● Mixing water and feed. Making sure new moms eat and drink up to and soon after birth is important for their health, and their piglets’ health. Have garden hoses available in farrowing rooms and add water to the bottom of gilt feeders. Usually, this is only needed for the first three to five days, targeting the time it takes to get the room farrowed out. This helps gilts transition to dry feed in the farrowing house more quickly. They are often used to wet feed in gestation water troughs and wet/dry feeders in a gilt developer unit (GDU).
● Learning with peanut butter. Since water intake is critical to avoid constipation, a small bribe may be used to help build gilts’ comfort with finding and drinking from the water nipple — using peanut butter. Dab some on her water nipple in the morning, and make sure your monitors are identifying if the peanut butter is still there later in the day — indicating that she hasn’t found her water source.
● A good first experience. Team members should also manually press each water nipple to ensure good flow. Be strict with your expectations on water flow and how strong it should be. If the pressure is set too high and the gilt is sprayed in the face, she can develop an aversion to it. A simple test is taking a cup or bottle and providing an appropriate time for that to be filled completely, or to a line on a standard bottle.
Additional Resources
It takes more than nutrition, see additional sow farm chores wisdom from Dr. Claire LeFevre, an associate veterinarian at Carthage Veterinary Service.
Sows are the backbone of your operation, Dr. Clayton Johnson, partner and veterinarian with Carthage Veterinary Service walks through strategies for improving your farm’s sow longevity rate.
Closing Thoughts
Sow research is challenging, and therefore as an industry, we are a few steps behind in discovering and exploring the nuances of sow nutrition. We are very proud at Carthage to be able to have a full-size, commercial setting, research barn where we can dive into these questions and help refine current nutrition management practices.
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