The influence of Danish versus Dutch feeding of lactating sows on piglet growth and milk composition: A pilot study

摘要

Piglet mortality in The Netherlands is lower (12.9%) than in Denmark (13.8%) (Christiansen, 2010) despite both countries having hyperprolific sows. Dutch and Danish sow feed recommendations differ, with the Dutch recommendations generally containing higher dietary fibre. It is therefore relevant to consider how suckling piglets are affected by these differences in sow feed recommendations during pregnancy and lactation (Danish versus Dutch). Inclusion of fibre in sow lactation diet is likely to improve growth rate of piglets during the suckling period (Quesnel et ah, 2009) due to increased production of short chain fatty acids, thus leading to an increased milk production and fat percentage in the sow's milk. We hypothesised that offspring born to sows fed a Dutch feeding regime would have greater weaning weights due to improved nutritional conditions namely the quality of milk produced during lactation.