Improved udder access prolongs duration of milk letdown and increases piglet weight gain Final preprint (accepted version) of article published in Livestock Science . Please cite as

Abstract Nursing-suckling behaviour and piglet weight gain were compared in traditional Danish farrowing crates and farrowing pens where sows were free to roam to determine if improved access to the udder could increase the milk intake of the piglets. The experiment was conducted in a Danish production herd, and behaviour and weight gain were registered on day 14, 15, 27 and 28 post-partum. The nursing-suckling behaviour was video recorded, and the duration of the milk letdown was used as an indicator of the milk intake of the piglets. The milk letdown lasted 8.5 s for the sows housed in crates and 10.3 s for the sows housed in farrowing pens. The 1.8 s longer duration ( P P  = 0.009) and less piglets missed the milk letdowns ( P P P P =  0.019) compared with the piglets housed in crates. The higher weight indicated that the piglets in the farrowing pens with easier access to the udder had a higher milk intake.

[1]  D. Fraser,et al.  Some behavioural aspects of milk ejection failure by sows. , 1977, The British veterinary journal.

[2]  P. Jensen,et al.  Behaviour and weight changes at weaning and regrouping of pigs in relation to teat quality. , 1990 .

[3]  S. Ford,et al.  Effects of space allocation and temperature on periparturient maternal behaviors, steroid concentrations, and piglet growth rates. , 1996, Journal of animal science.

[4]  G. Cronin,et al.  Suckling behaviour of sows in farrowing crates and straw-bedded pens , 1992 .

[5]  T. Whatson,et al.  A comparison of incomplete nursing in the sow in two environments , 1980 .

[6]  D. Hennessy,et al.  Sow's milk as a major nutrient source before weaning. , 1995 .

[7]  Judith K. Blackshaw,et al.  Comparison of behaviour patterns of sows and litters in a farrowing crate and a farrowing pen , 1994 .

[8]  D. Fraser.  The ‘teat order’ of suckling pigs: II. Fighting during suckling and the effects of clipping the eye teeth , 1975, The Journal of Agricultural Science.

[9]  M. Herskin,et al.  Nursing behaviour, postpartum activity and reactivity in sows , 2002 .

[10]  J. Hurnik,et al.  An ellipsoid farrowing crate: its ergonomical design and effects on pig productivity. , 1994, Journal of animal science.

[11]  P. Theil,et al.  Milk intake and carbon dioxide production of piglets determined with the doubly labelled water technique. , 2007, Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience.

[12]  D. Poulain,et al.  The milk ejection reflex in the pig , 1982, The Journal of physiology.

[13]  H. B. Graves,et al.  Nursing Order, Social Dominance and Growth in Swine , 1977 .

[14]  Lotta Rydhmer,et al.  Maternal behaviour and performance in first-parity outdoor sows , 2008 .

[15]  Lotta Rydhmer,et al.  Nursing behaviour of sows during 5 weeks lactation and effects on piglet growth , 2002 .

[16]  M. Caroprese,et al.  Relationship between cortisol response to stress and behavior, immune profile, and production performance of dairy ewes. , 2010, Journal of dairy science.

[17]  A. Pedersen,et al.  Relationships between piglet growth rate and mammary gland size of the sow , 2001 .

[18]  A. H. Jensen,et al.  Effects of sow-crate design on health and performance of sows and piglets. , 1989, Journal of animal science.

[19]  J. Rushen,et al.  Suckling and teat disputes by neonatal piglets , 1989 .

[20]  K. Thodberg,et al.  Mammary development and milk production in the sow: Effects of udder massage, genotype and feeding in late gestation , 2006 .

[21]  P. Arthur,et al.  The lactation cycle in the sow: physiological and management contradictions , 1997 .

[22]  D. Fraser,et al.  The nursing and suckling behaviour of pigs. II. Vocalization of the sow in relation to suckling behaviour and milk ejection. , 1974, The British veterinary journal.

[23]  K. Kuno.  [The mammary gland]. , 1966, Kyobu geka. The Japanese journal of thoracic surgery.

[24]  A. Lawrence,et al.  The effect of confinement during lactation on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and behaviour of primiparous sows , 2006, Physiology & Behavior.

[25]  P. Jensen,et al.  Occurrence of unsuccessful sucklings in newborn piglets in a semi-natural environment , 1989 .

[26]  M. Verstegen,et al.  The lactating sow. , 1998 .

[27]  P. Jensen,et al.  Communication during suckling in the domestic pig. Effects of continuous noise , 1985 .

[28]  J. G. Cunningham.  Textbook of veterinary physiology , 1997 .

[29]  P. Jensen,et al.  Individual differences in suckling and solid food intake by piglets , 1995 .

[30]  B. Algers,et al.  Quantitative relationships between suckling-induced teat stimulation and the release of prolactin, gastrin, somatostatin, insulin, glucagon and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in sows , 2004, Veterinary Research Communications.

[31]  D. Fraser,et al.  The ‘teat order’ of suckling pigs: I. Relation to birth weight and subsequent growth , 1975, Journal of Agricultural Sciences.

[32]  W. Thomson,et al.  Observations on the behaviour of suckling pigs , 1956 .

[33]  D. Arey,et al.  Behaviour and productivity of sows and piglets in a family system and in farrowing crates , 1996 .

[34]  M. Špinka,et al.  Predictability of nursings without milk ejection in domestic pigs , 1999 .

[35]  G. Cronin,et al.  Effects of accommodation type and straw bedding around parturition and during lactation on the behaviour of primiparous sows and survival and growth of piglets to weaning , 1992 .

[36]  D. Kramer,et al.  Birth weight variation in the domestic pig: effects on offspring survival, weight gain and suckling behaviour. , 2001, Applied animal behaviour science.

[37]  G. Cronin,et al.  The welfare of pigs in two farrowing/lactation environments: cortisol responses of sows , 1991 .

[38]  I. Forsyth,et al.  The mammary gland. , 1991, Bailliere's clinical endocrinology and metabolism.

[39]  R. C. Newberry,et al.  The suckling behaviour of domestic pigs in a semi-natural environment , 1985 .