A new study from the folks at Purina shows that higher parity sows eat less, but they require higher nutrient levels in the food they do eat. The study says for producers to get the most out of the older sows, feed consumption should be monitored for any needed adjustments to what’s in the feed.
“All age groups typically consume less feed as temperatures increase, but the biggest difference we saw was in feed consumption by parity,” [Brenda de Rodas, Ph.D., director of swine research at the Purina Animal Nutrition Center] says. “Parity 1, the gilts, consistently had the lowest feed intake, because they have less capacity for consumption. Parities 3 and 4 were the sows with the highest feed intake. The parity 7+ sows were the second lowest in feed intake.”
Because overfeeding and over-conditioning of sows during gestation can lead to decreased voluntary feed consumption during lactation, producers often restrict the feed of older sows during gestation to prevent over-conditioning – as over-conditioning can lead to lameness and poor reproductive performance.
“When we adjust the amount of feed to maintain BCS, we may also need to adjust the ration for nutrients,” says Jon Bergstrom, Ph.D., senior technical support manager for DSM Nutritional Products. “Oftentimes, higher parity sows are limit-fed based on energy alone. This can cause vitamin and mineral inadequacies – because, when the older sows are eating less feed, they are also consuming fewer vitamins and minerals per unit of metabolic bodyweight unless the ration is adjusted.”
The researchers said that restrict-feeding for energy over the lifetime of the sow can end up decreasing the amount of vitamins and trace minerals the animal is receiving. They recommended closely monitoring the amount of nutrients the sows consume to help them and their litters perform at their best.