Increasing food intake in late gestation improved sow condition throughoutlactation but did not affect piglet viability or growth rate

Increasing sow food intake in late gestation prevents loss of sow fatness p rior to farrowing. However, this may result in reduced food intake and grea ter overall fat loss during lactation and has also been associated with inc reased incidence of agalactia. In this experiment 78 Camborough sows (parit ies 1 to 3) were given food at one of two levels: either 1.15 x maintenance energy (normal-N sows, 2.3 (s.e. 0.03) kg/day) or 2.00 x maintenance energ y (high-H sows, 3.9 (s.e. 0.04) kg/day) from day 100 of gestation until far rowing. Lactation food intake, changes in sow live weight and backfat thick ness and piglet growth rates were then measured. Diet digestibility in earl y lactation teas measured using a chromium III oxide marker in the food. Th ere was no change in backfat thickness in late gestation in H sows (0.2 (s. e. 0.25) mm), whereas N sows lost backfat during this period (1.6 (s.e. 0.2 3) mm, P < 0.001). There was no difference in lactation food intake between the two groups (6.5 (s.e. 0.13) kg/day) and differences in backfat thickne ss at parturition were maintained through to weaning. H sows did not show i ncreased incidence of agalactia compared with N sows. There was no differen ce in diet digestibility between the two treatment groups. Food intake leve l in late gestation did not affect piglet birth weights, growth rates or mo rtality It is concluded that the main benefit of increasing sow food intake in late gestation was to reduce sow backfat loss during the reproductive c ycle.