For decades, pork producers have used split suckling as a way to help all piglets in a newborn litter receive adequate colostrum intake. In general, it involves the short-term removal of a portion of the piglets from the sow so the remaining piglets have less competition for consumption of colostrum. Despite its widespread practice, little research exists to show whether it works or not.
A recent study at Kansas State University led by Mikayla Spinler set out to see if split suckling is beneficial for pre-weaning growth and if it helps prevent prewean mortality. Spinler set up this large commercial trial utilizing 22,800 piglets, comparing split suckling based on birth weight or split suckling based on birth order to a control treatment with no split suckling. She discovered no differences in pre-weaning or lifetime growth or mortality.
“It’s a tough situation because split suckling Is one of the things that feels like an intervention that it is really helping the pigs,” Spinler’s K-State colleague Abigail Jenkins, who now serves as director of nutrition for Tosh Farms in Henry, Tenn., explained during a session at the 2025 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference. “Logically, it makes sense why it would benefit the farm. But the research shows that the benefit isn’t there. When we think about the amount of time that we have to put into doing split suckling, you’re left with a big question: Is this worth it if the research doesn’t show a consistent benefit?”
Jenkins believes there are better ways that farm staff can invest time to improve piglet livability.
1. Pay attention to the sow pre-farrowing.
“Monitor feed and water intake, especially in gilts who often have issues finding the water and figuring out how to work feeders,” she says. “Make sure everybody is eating and drinking prior to farrowing. Getting sows up to stand twice a day and making sure that they don’t have any lameness issues going into farrowing can be beneficial.”
2. Fine-tune the farrowing process.
“We know that a sow that is assisted during farrowing ultimately has a shorter farrowing duration, and thus should give birth to less hypoxic pigs that reach the underline quicker and should ultimately have more colostrum consumption,” Jenkins says.
Use that time to dry the piglets because piglets can’t regulate their body temperature for about the first 3 to 5 days of their life. Caretakers can also do udder training as well. Helping piglets get latched onto the udder for the first time can be really helpful for increasing colostrum consumption, she says.
3. Invest in post-farrowing care.
“From a management perspective, I know people across the country are really hurting because of sow mortality,” Jenkins says. “There doesn’t seem to be a silver bullet, at least not one that we have found yet. However, I think that paying attention post-farrowing can help in some scenarios.”
She says that simple practices like taking the sow’s temperature at 24 hours post farrowing can tell the caretaker if the sow is dealing with a retained pig or mastitis, for example.
“This allows the caretaker to intervene quicker, get the sow on antibiotics and hopefully allow that sow to finish out that lactation and not become one of those mortalities,” Jenkins says. “Monitoring feed and water intake and getting that sow standing are both things that can help us keep the sow healthy, which ultimately will help increase her milk production and help piglets not only survive but thrive during lactation.”
The results of Spinler’s trial will be presented at the pig livability conference on Nov. 6. Learn more here.
