FeedNavigator is running a webinar on the topic this month. Register now to attend this live event on Thursday, July 16.
Work carried out by Pedro E. Urriola, research associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Minnesota, in the US, and others, has indicated that effects of supplemental dietary zinc in late gestation improved preweaning survival of low birth weight piglets and reduced overall preweaning mortality of piglets.
Genetic advances in the swine industry has resulted in a steady increase in litter size at birth over a decade or more. However, the consequence of such large litter sizes can be an increase in variability of piglet birth weight and a greater chance of low birth weight pigs.
Piglets weighing less than 1kg at birth typically are at greater risk for mortality and poor lifetime growth performance compared with pigs with normal birth weights (Foxcroft et al., 2006; Calderon Diaz et al., 2017). Therefore, sows that produce pigs with birth weights greater than 1kg have greater economic value for producers as they have enhanced postnatal piglet survival and pig growth performance, noted Urriola and his colleagues.
Thus, industry is exploring whether enhancing the sow’s diet during gestation will improve the nutrition of the small pigs in the uterus, reduce the percentage of small pigs at birth and improve the performance of those animals thereafter.
Urriola will discuss his findings about the benefits for the sector of gestational zinc feeding and the results of other studies such as the impact on the progeny of feeding dietary fiber to sows in our online webinar, Maternal Nutrition, which is live on July 16.
Put your questions to our speaker: Register for the live event here.
Meanwhile, recent findings by Novus International have also demonstrated the positive impact of feeding sows with organic trace minerals on the fetal and postnatal development of the progeny,
Dr Juxing Chen, senior manager, Novus, will present on behalf of that company on this research during the online webinar.
Novus argues that sow nutrition impacts muscle development, gut development and nutrient absorption, immune status and disease susceptibility, which contributes to the performance of the progeny. The company said these effects can be partially explained by epigenetic modifications that promote the expression of positive genes and minimize the expression of negative genes.
A 15-minute long Q&A enables you to also address your queries to Dr Chen. Register for FeedNavigator's online webinar now.