36 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2025 As industry litter sizes have increased, challenges to piglet survival and piglet quality at weaning have frequently ensued. To maximize farm throughput and promote animal well-being, these challenges should be addressed. While skilled labor and sufficient facilities can largely drive production, the concept of enhancing piglet nutrient access is critical for maximizing piglet survival and piglet quality. The component traits of piglet nutrient access are shown in Figure 1. Piglet Vitality Piglet vitality encompasses whether a piglet is born alive and, importantly, its vigor at birth. Low-vigor piglets, often compromised by oxygen deprivation during birth (hypoxia), face significant hurdles in consuming sufficient colostrum for survival. Research indicates a moderate positive correlation between piglet vitality and farrowing duration. Consequently, strategies aimed at shortening farrowing duration can effectively reduce stillbirth rates and improve newborn piglet vigor. Given that farrowing duration is a trait with low heritability (heritability is a statistical measure used in genetics to estimate how much of the variation in a particular trait—phenotype—is due to genetic differences among individuals in a population) (<0.10), management interventions appear to be the most promising avenue for improvement. Several pre-farrowing feeding strategies have shown potential in boosting piglet vitality. The inclusion of fiber, phytase, and calcium chloride in the sow’s everyday diet has been linked to shorter farrowing times, improved health, and/or fewer stillborn piglets. Beyond specific ingredients, feeding management practices also play a role. While gestating sows are commonly fed once daily before farrowing, some studies suggest that feeding multiple times pre-farrowing can reduce farrowing duration and stillbirths. The timing of these pre-farrowing meals may also be significant, with recent research indicating that feeding closer to midnight, rather than in the morning, could decrease stillborn rates and increase the number of piglets weaned. Although these findings are encouraging, further investigation into pre-farrowing feeding strategies is warranted to minimize farrowing duration and maximize piglet vitality. PIGLET NUTRIENT ACCESS Enhancing Doing so will provide the best probability of piglet survival, not to mention piglet quality. Mark Knauer, North Carolina State University The component traits of piglet nutrient access. Image courtesy of the National Hog Farmer. Figure 1
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