Effect of dietary seaweed extract supplementation on the reproductive performance of sows and suckling pig performance.

Recent research has demonstrated that maternal dietary supplementation of LactoShield® (seaweed extract) had beneficial effects on the growth performance, immune status and gastrointestinal health of weanling pigs. The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of maternal dietary LactoShield® inclusion on the reproductive performance of sows and the piglet during the suckling period.

The farm used for this study was a commercial Truly Irish pig farm (Parknageragh Pig Breeders). In all, 138 crossbred pregnant sows (Large White x Landrace genetic lines) were randomly assigned accounting for parity and anticipated farrowing date, to 1 of 2 dietary treatments (n = 69 sows/treatment); (1) basal lactation diet and (2) basal lactation and LactoShield® from day (d) 109 of gestation until weaning (d 28). Upon farrowing, the numbers of pigs born alive, stillborn, and mummified were recorded. All pigs born alive were weighed and individually identified with numbered ear tags. At weaning, each litter was selected and all pigs within each litter were individually weighed. Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) as a completely randomized design.

The gestation length, number of pigs born alive, stillborn number, mummified number, average birth weight, total litter birth weight at birth, minimum birth weight and maximum birth weight within litters were not influenced by sow dietary treatment (P> 0.05). However, maternal supplementation of LactoShield® resulted in a significant reduction in the number of stillborn pigs (0.43 vs. 0.68; P=0.05). The total litter weight at weaning was 5 % higher (94.55 vs. 90.22 kg) with the pigs from the LactoShield® supplemented sows when compared with the control group; however this effect was not significant (P> 0.05). Of particular interest, feeding LactoShield® during late gestation and lactation resulted in a significant reduction in the standard deviation (-9 %) and coefficient of variation (-10 %) of weaning weights within litters (P< 0.05). Consequently, supplementation of maternal LactoShield® resulted in a significant increase in the minimum weaning weight within litters when compared with the control group (5.86 vs. 5.47 kg; P< 0.05). In addition, the percentage of pigs weaned per sow on weaning day was significantly higher with LactoShield® supplemented sows when compared with the unsupplemented sows (P< 0.01).

The results of the present study show that LactoShield® supplementation reduced the number of stillborn pigs. In addition, LactoShield® supplementation decreased within-litter variation in piglet weaning weight.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared.