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Colostrum, a major role in piglet survival

Colostrum intake by piglets is essential for piglet survival but it can be limited by sow colostrum yield. Colostrum production is highly variable among primiparous sows and factors of variation are not fully known. The aims of the present work were

• to study the influence of plasma concentrations of progesterone and prolactin during the prepartum period on colostrum production;
• to determine whether high dietary fiber intake by sows during the last 10 days of pregnancy influenced sow colostrum production and piglet performance during lactation. Relations between sow metabolic and hepatic status and colostrum yield were also investigated.

Sow hormonal and metabolic status influence colostrum production

Colostrum yield was influenced by the relative plasma concentrations of progesterone and prolactin during the prepartum period. A higher prolactin to progesterone ratio during the two days before parturition was associated with a greater yield of colostrum. A relation between sow colostrum yield and sow protein and energy metabolism before parturition was also observed.
High dietary fiber intake during late pregnancy did not influence colostrum yield but affected colostrum composition, and especially reduced IgA contents. High dietary fiber intake increased colostrum intake by low birth weight piglets. Moreover, it decreased piglet pre-weaning mortality. Those effects were not related to changes in peripartum concentrations of the main hormones involved in lactogenesis. The present work suggested a feeding strategy to reduce piglet pre-weaning mortality and identified potential hormonal and metabolic involvements which could partly explain the variability of sow colostrum yield.

Prohealth, an European project to go further

The interactions between maternal feeding, maternal physiology and colostrum quality in relation with piglet health and survival will be investigated further. Especially, the impact of sow environment and feeding during pregnancy on nutritional and immune composition of colostrum and its consequences on piglet immunity and health will be investigated in the European project Prohealth [lien].

This work was conducted as part of the PhD of Florence Loisel between 2011 and 2014 and was funded by ANRT (Agence Nationale de la Recherche et la Technologie) and Nutreco.

Bibliography

• Loisel F., Farmer C., van Hees H., Quesnel H., 2015. Relative prolactin to progesterone concentrations around farrowing influence sow colostrum yield. Domestic Animal Endocrinology. (DOI)
• Loisel F., Farmer C., Ramaekers P., Quesnel H. 2014. Colostrum yield and piglet growth during lactation are related to gilt metabolic and hepatic status prepartum. Journal of Animal Science 92: 2931-2941. (DOI)
• Loisel F., Farmer C., Ramaekers P., Quesnel H. 2013. Effect of high dietary fiber during late pregnancy on sow physiology, colostrum production, and piglet performance. Journal of Animal Science 91: 5269-5279. (DOI)
• Loisel F., Quesnel H., Farmer C. 2013. Effect of silymarin (Silybum marianum) treatment on prolactin concentrations in cyclic sows. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 93: 227-230. (DOI)
• Loisel, F., Farmer, C., van Hees, H., Quesnel, H. (2014). Prolactin and progesterone concentrations around farrowing influence sow colostrum yield. In: Book of Abstracts of the 65th Annual meeting of the european federation of animal science (p. 357). EAAP Book of Abstracts , 20. Presented at 65. Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP), Copenhague, DNK (2014-08-25 - 2014-08-28). NLD : Wageningen Academic Publishers. [lien]
• Loisel, F., Farmer, C., Ramaekers, P., Quesnel, H. (2013). Effects of high fiber intake in late gestating sows on colostrum production and piglet performance. In: Book of Abstracts of the 64th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (p. 203). EAAP Book Abstracts, 64. Presented at 64th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP), Nantes, FRA (2013-08-26 - 2013-08-30). Wageningen, NLD : Wageningen Academic Publishers. [lien]
• Loisel, F., Farmer, C., Ramaekers, P., Quesnel, H. (2013). Influence des fibres alimentaires données à la truie en fin de gestation sur la production de colostrum et les performances des porcelets pendant la lactation. In: 45èmes journées de la recherche porcine (p. 177-182). Journées de la Recherche Porcine, 45. Presented at 45. Journées de la Recherche Porcine, Paris, FRA (2013-02-05 - 2013-02-06). Paris, FRA : IFIP - Institut du Porc. [lien]
• Farmer, C., Loisel, F., Quesnel, H. (2011). Use of an extract (Silymarin) from the plant Silybum marianum to increase circulating concentrations of prolactin in sows. Presented at 7. International Congress on Farm Animal Endocrinology, Bern, CHE (2011-08-24 - 2011-08-26). [lien]
• Loisel, F. (2014). Variabilité de la production de colostrum par la truie. Rôle de la progestérone et de la prolactine et influence des fibres alimentaires (Thèse de doctorat, Institut Supérieur des Sciences Agronomiques, Agroalimentaires, Horticoles et du Paysage, FRA). [lien]

Contact

Hélène Quesnel (helene.quesnel[at]rennes.inra.fr)