{"id":232426,"date":"2025-01-31T08:40:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T07:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ew-nutrition.com\/nutritional-strategies-to-maximize-the-health-and-productivity-of-sows\/"},"modified":"2025-07-10T16:29:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T14:29:32","slug":"nutritional-strategies-to-maximize-the-health-and-productivity-of-sows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ew-nutrition.com\/en-uk\/nutritional-strategies-to-maximize-the-health-and-productivity-of-sows\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutritional strategies to maximize the health and productivity of sows"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conference Report<\/em><\/p>\n

During lactation, the focus should be on maximizing milk production to promote litter growth while reducing weight loss of the sow, stated Dr. Jan Fledderus during the recent EW Nutrition Swine Academies in Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. A high body weight loss during lactation negatively affects the sow’s performance in the next cycle and impairs her longevity.<\/p>\n

Milk production – \u2018push\u2019 or \u2018pull\u2019?<\/h2>\n

\u201cIs a sow’s milk production driven by “push” \u2013 the sow is primarily responsible for milk production, or “pull” – suckling stimulates the sow to produce milk?\u201d asked Dr. Jan Fledderus at the beginning of his presentation. The answer is that it is primarily a pull mechanism: piglets that suckle effectively and frequently can activate all compartments of the udder, leading to increased milk production. Therefore, the focus should be optimizing piglet suckling behavior (pull) to enhance milk production. This highlights the importance of piglet vitality and access to the udder in maximizing milk yield.\u201d<\/p>\n

Modern sows are lean<\/h2>\n

Modern sows have been genetically selected for increased growth rates and leanness, which alters their body composition. This makes traditional body condition scoring (BCS) methods, which rely on subjective visual assessment and palpation of backfat thickness, less effective. This may not accurately represent a sow’s true condition, especially in leaner breeds where muscle mass is more prominent than fat. Technology, such as ultrasound measurements of backfat and loin muscle depth, provide more accurate assessments of body condition and can help quantify metabolic reserves more effectively than visual scoring.<\/p>\n

Due to their increased lean body mass, we must consider adjusted requirements for amino acids, energy, digestible phosphorus, and calcium. Their dietary crude protein and amino acid requirements have increased drastically.<\/p>\n

Importance of high feed intake for milk production<\/h2>\n

Sows typically catabolize body fat and protein to meet the demands of milk production. Adequate feed intake helps reduce this catabolism, allowing sows to maintain body condition while supporting their piglets’ nutritional needs.<\/p>\n

Feeding about 2.5kg on the day of farrowing ensures that sows receive adequate energy to support the farrowing process and subsequent\u00a0milk production. Sows that are well-fed before farrowing tend to have shorter farrowing durations due to better energy availability during labor.<\/p>\n

A short interval between the last feed and the onset of farrowing (\uf0a33 hours) has been shown to significantly reduce the probability of both assisted farrowing and stillbirths without increasing the risk of constipation. To enhance total feed intake, feeding lactating sows at least three times a day is helpful.<\/p>\n

Dr. Fledderus recommended a gradual increase in feed intake during lactation, then from day 12 of lactation to weaning, feeding 1% of sow\u2019s bodyweight at farrowing + 0.5 kg\/piglet. For example, for a 220kg sow with 12 piglets:<\/p>\n

(220 kg x 0.01) + (12 x 0.5 kg) = 2.2 +6 = 8.2 kg total daily feed intake<\/p>\n

Energy source – starch versus fat<\/h2>\n

The choice between starch and fat as an energy source in sow diets has substantial implications for body composition and milk production.<\/p>\n

Starch digestion leads to glucose release, stimulating insulin secretion from the pancreas. Insulin is essential for glucose uptake and utilization by tissues. Enhanced insulin response can help manage body weight loss by promoting nutrient storage and reducing the mobilization of the sow\u2019s body reserves.<\/p>\n

Sows fed diets with a higher fat supplementation had an increased milk fat, which is crucial for the growth and development of piglets.<\/p>\n

Table 1: Effect of energy source (starch vs. fat) on sows\u2019 body composition and milk yield (Schothorst Feed Research)<\/strong><\/p>\n