Prepartum behavior in swine: effects of pen size.

Gravid Yorkshire sows assigned to one of three pen sizes on d 109 of gestation, were continuously observed for 72 h before parturition. Pens included a 2.1- x .7-m rectangular farrowing crate (n = 6), a small, square pen 2.1 x 2.1 m (n = 5), and a large, square pen 4.2 x 4.2 m (n = 5). Body positions were recorded at 30-s intervals. Other behaviors were recorded using the one-zero method of sampling at 1-min intervals. Sows became more active as they approached farrowing. They stood, sat, lay with legs under, changed positions, drank, urinated, defecated, rooted the floor and pipes, mouthed the waterer and pipes, and pawed the floor more (P < .05) during the 24 h before the birth of the first pig than during the previous 2 d. Position changes, rooting the floor, and pawing frequency peaked during the 6 h preceding parturition and show promise as predictors of parturition. During the 24 h preceding the birth of the first pig, farrowing crate sows stood, rooted the floor, and pawed less and sat, lay, and changed positions more than sows in either pen (P < .05). No differences (P > .05) among pens were noted for lying with legs under or out, eating, drinking, urinating, defecating, rooting the pipes, mouthing the pipes. or mouthing the waterer. Pipe biting and other behaviors commonly thought to be caused by confinement stress occurred in all three pen sizes and seem to be components of nest-building, expressed inappropriately, in a barren environment.

Effects of feeding restricted energy and elevated calcium and phosphorus during growth on gait characteristics of culled sows and those surviving three parities.

Crossbred gilts (n = 288) were weaned at 4 to 5 wk of age and retained through three parities. They were used to determine the effects of feeding restricted energy (ad libitum vs 75% ad libitum) and elevated calcium-phosphorus levels (100 vs 150% of the dietary percentage suggested by NRC, 1979) from weaning to 100 kg of body weight on subsequent sow gait characteristics obtained from 16-mm motion pictures. After 100 kg, all females were fed and managed similarly throughout breeding, gestation and lactation. At 50 and 100 kg body weight and 21 d after weaning, females were filmed from the side and rear as they walked on a treadmill (traveling at the rate of .90 cm/s with zero slope) using two 16-mm Arriflex cameras. Objective measurements were taken from the film by projecting it on a reverse screen. Visual appraisal of structural soundness were scored subjectively for each female at each time period. The front foot pastern angle was correlated positively with structural soundness scores, suggesting that sows with smaller angles (more sloping) were given more desirable soundness scores. Early dietary energy and Ca-P levels did not influence number of sows completing three parities or culled for various reasons, front and hind pastern angles, the angles at the hock and carpal joint or rear view measurements, but sows fed ad libitum to 100 kg had a larger frame size even after three parities. Sows that survived three parities tended to have larger body capacity (girth diameter and width across hams) and smaller front and bind pastern angles and angles of the carpal joint and hock at maximum flex than did culled sows. Structural soundness scores did not differ between culled and surviving sows.

Reproductive performance of sows fed elevated calcium and phosphorus levels during growth and development.

A cooperative regional study (S-145) involving 586 farrowings was conducted at five state experiment stations (Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) to determine the influence of feeding elevated Ca and P levels during growth and development on general reproductive efficiency and longevity of confined, housed females kept for three consecutive parities. Two dietary Ca and P levels (100 vs 150% of 1979 NRC-recommended amounts) were fed ad libitum from weaning to 100 kg. A diet containing .8% Ca and .6% P was limit-fed to all gilts and to all sows during gestation and lactation. Growth rate and feed efficiency from weaning to 100 kg were similar (P greater than .10) for gilts fed 100 vs 150% Ca and P levels. A similar total number of litters (292 vs 294) was farrowed by each previous treatment group. From the previously-fed-100% Ca and P group, 78 and 65% of the sows that completed the first parity completed the second and third farrowing, respectively. Similarly, from the previously-fed-150% Ca and P group, 81 and 57% completed the second and third farrowing, respectively. Across all locations, total pigs born, live pigs born, stillborns, birth weight, number and weight of pigs at 21 d of age, sow weight at 110 d of gestation and at weaning did not differ (P greater than .10) between the two previously fed sow groups. There were significant location and farrowing effects, but most two-way interactions with Ca and P levels were not significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Restricted energy intake and elevated calcium and phosphorus intake for gilts during growth. III. Characterization of feet and limbs and soundness scores of sows during three parities.

Gilts that had previously been fed ad libitum or 75% ad libitum intake and 100 or 150% National Research Council recommended daily Ca and P from weaning to 100 kg were used in a reproductive study in which a 14% protein diet was fed. Foot and leg measurements, subjective toe scores and structural soundness scores were taken at each of three parities, 21 d postweaning. Sows previously ad libitum-fed generally had larger front toes than limit-fed sows; whereas, hind toes were larger for sows previously fed 150% Ca and P levels than sows fed 100% Ca and P. Sows previously fed the ad libitum-150% Ca and P diet had the largest toes. Front inside toes were larger than hind inside toes, but the reverse was observed for front and hind outside toes, with the magnitude of the difference between the inside and outside toes greater for the hind foot. Toe size increased over parities with the greatest increase from parity 2 to 3. Incidence and severity of toe pad and horn scores were generally unaffected by previously fed energy and Ca and P levels and were not correlated to toe size. Hind feet exhibited a larger number of lesions than front feet and outside toes exhibited a larger number of lesions than inside toes, with the hind outside toe exhibiting the greatest number of lesions. In general, incidence and severity of toe lesions decreased or were unchanged from parity 1 to 3. Structural soundness scores were unaffected by previously fed energy or Ca and P levels, but were quadratically affected by parity, with a small increase (poorer) from parity 1 to 2 and a large improvement from parity 2 to 3. Soundness scores were not related to any of the feet or leg measurements and characteristics. Restricting growth rate and feeding elevated Ca and P levels during growth had no effect on incidence and severity of lesions on the toes and overall structural soundness of sows kept for three parities.