Weak legs in sows: and how they relate to feeding

摘要

A high feeding level for the sow can increase the occurrence of leg weakness and osteochondrosis in different life stages, but many experiments have shown no effect on these locomotor conditions from different levels of dietary calcium and phosphorus.From the perspective of experience in the Netherlands, leg weakness among breeding pigs can case big economic losses. Animals representing about 5% of the national sow herd are culled each year due to weak legs and associated locomotor disorders. Unfortunately, not all of the factors involved in the multi-factorial condition that is leg weakness are known even today. We can see, however, that there may be a connection at times of the feeding of the sow.