Warmth stress, intensified by local weather change, considerably decreases feed consumption in lactating sows, affecting their welfare, milk manufacturing, and reproductive efficiency. This discount in vitality consumption forces them to mobilize physique reserves. To mitigate these results, methods resembling diets with a much less thermogenic impact or changes in feeding schedules to keep away from the most well liked hours are proposed. Thus, two unbiased trials had been performed below managed situations to guage the impression of various dietary methods (regular food regimen and fewer thermogenic food regimen) and feeding administration in lactating sows uncovered to persistent (T1) or acute (T2) warmth stress.

Supplies and strategies
A complete of 144 sows (Massive White × Landrace) had been used, distributed in six teams of 24 animals every. The examine was divided into two trials:
- Trial 1 (T1): sows had been subjected to persistent warmth stress (fixed 25 °C) for your complete lactation interval, which lasted 28 days.
- Trial 2 (T2): the feeding methods weren’t utilized for your complete lactation interval; as an alternative, they had been adjusted based on temperature situations.
Firstly of T2, all sows acquired the TEM therapy. Then, relying on the climate, completely different methods had been utilized: if excessive temperatures had been anticipated and the room reached 25°C, the feeding was modified beginning at 5:00 p.m. and maintained all through the warmth wave, even for 2 or three extra days. When the warmth wave ended, the conventional therapy (TEM) was used once more till excessive temperatures returned.
The remedies evaluated had been:
- Therapy 1 – TEM: Normal food regimen (9.5 MJ NE/kg; 73.6% NE/ME)
- Therapy 2 – ALI: Much less thermogenic food regimen (10.3 MJ NE/kg; 76.3% NE/ME)
- Therapy 3 – DIS: TEM food regimen, fed avoiding the most well liked instances of the day.
Feed and web vitality consumption, weight reduction, backfat thickness (BFT), longissimus dorsi muscle thickness (LDT), litter development, and consumption distribution had been measured at every feeding time.
Outcomes
Continual stress (T1): Sows within the ALI therapy consumed extra NE (61.3 MJ/d) in comparison with DIS (49.7 MJ/d) and TEM (51.4 MJ/d) (P=0.001). This increased consumption in ALI additionally lowered longissimus dorsi muscle loss (LDT: -2.8 mm, equal to -3%) in comparison with DIS (-9.2 mm, -15%) and TEM (-7.1 mm, -11%) (P=0.007), with out considerably affecting weight reduction or backfat.
Acute stress (T2): Sows within the ALI (60.3 MJ/d) and DIS (57.0 MJ/d) remedies consumed extra NE than TEM (48.5 MJ/d) (P=0.004). Dry matter consumption was additionally increased in ALI and DIS (P=0.004). Nonetheless, there have been no vital variations within the mobilization of physique reserves (stay weight, longissimus dorsi muscle, and backfat thickness) between teams. Sows within the DIS therapy shifted a part of their consumption to cooler hours throughout warmth waves.
Piglet efficiency didn’t differ between remedies in both trial.
Desk 1: Abstract of key sow efficiency outcomes.
Parameter | T1 (Continual stress) |
T2 (Acute stress) |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TEM | DIS | ALI | TEM | DIS | ALI | |
Dry matter consumption
|
5.41a | 5.23a | 5.95b | 5.11a | 6.00b | 6.10b |
Web vitality consumption
|
51.4a | 49.7a | 61.3b | 48.5a | 57.0b | 60.3b |
Longissimus dorsi muscle thickness loss (LDT), %
|
-11a | -15a | -3b | -15 | -9 | -10 |
Dwell weight reduction
|
-16 | -15 | -13 | -16 | -13 | -14 |
Backfat thickness loss
|
-23 | -25 | -21 | -27 | -24 | -23 |
Abbreviations: TEM=Management, DIS=TEM with ration fed at completely different instances, ALI=Much less thermogenic food regimen. LDT=Longissimus dorsi muscle thickness, LW=Dwell weight, BFT=Backfat thickness. Totally different letters
(a, b) in the identical row and throughout the identical trial point out vital variations (P<0.05 or P<0.01 based on the unique article). Values with out letters for LDT, LW, and BFT in Trial 2 confirmed no vital variations (P > 0.05).
Dialogue
The examine confirms the detrimental impression of each persistent and acute warmth stress on feed consumption in lactating sows and validates dietary and administration methods to mitigate it. The conclusion on the impact of warmth stress on feed consumption was primarily based on the comparability of litter development with that noticed throughout different seasons, as no sows below thermoneutral situations had been included on this examine.
The much less thermogenic food regimen (ALI) persistently elevated NE consumption below each stress situations, serving to protect longissimus dorsi muscle throughout persistent stress.
Then again, modification of the feeding schedule (DIS), by avoiding the most well liked hours of the day, elevated NE consumption solely throughout warmth waves (acute stress), with no impact below persistent stress situations. This means that the good thing about schedule adjustment is biggest when warmth stress is transient, because it facilitates shifting consumption to cooler intervals of the day.
In conclusion, each methods are legitimate instruments. The much less thermogenic food regimen (ALI) provides extra constant advantages below completely different warmth stress eventualities. Modifying schedules (DIS) is efficient in opposition to particular warmth waves, however its implementation is determined by having sufficiently versatile feeding techniques. The selection between the completely different methods will depend upon the prevailing sort of warmth stress and the farm infrastructure.
Content material ready by 333 editorial workers, as a abstract of “Suffit-il d’utiliser un aliment moins thermogène ou d’éviter la distribution de repas pendant les heures les plus chaudes de la journée pour améliorer l’ingéré énergétique de la truie allaitante exposée à un stress thermique chronique ou ponctuel ?”
Nathalie QUINIOU (1), Julie DUPUIS (1), David RENAUDEAU (2)
(1) IFIP – Institut du Porc, 9 Boulevard du Trieux, 35740 Pacé, France
(2) PEGASE, INRAE, INSTITUT AGRO, 16 Le Clos, 35590 St-Gilles, France