Nutritional strategies for hyperprolific sows

摘要

During recent years, scientific studies and field trials have demonstrated optimal reproductive performance and development of the progeny when using bis-chelated organic trace minerals in hyperprolific sow diets.Intensive genetic selection has greatly improved sow reproductivity in recent years giving rise to more prolific sows and having 30 piglets per sow per year is starting to become common practice.However, this progress has also been coupled with several downsides, such as high sow mortality rate, high culling rate, and reduced piglet birth weight and uniformity. These downsides definitively affect the welfare and the profitability of the farm. This means that high prolific sows need other (adjusted) management strategies. Animal nutrition is an important part of this, thus, new nutritional strategies have been developed in response to these challenges.