dr. mark estienne - nursery management and sow longevity

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Early-in-life experiences impact lifetime reproductive performance and longevity in

sows

M.J. Estienne, Ph.D.

2012- Allen D. Leman Swine Conference

Tidewater ARECSwine Program

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Timeline Representing the “Life” of a Replacement Gilt

Birth Weaning- 21 days

Puberty- ~180 days

Farrowing- ~365 days

Conception

Management of the Replacement Gilt

Early-in-life experiences impact lifetime reproductive performance and longevity in sows

Post-farrowing- neonatal, nursery, grow-finish, gilt pool

Pre-conception-Genetic/Breeding System Decisions

Post-conception – prenatal, neonatal, nursery, grow-finish, gilt pool

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Event Day of Gestation

Pass into uterus 2 to 3

Differentiation of germ layers into ectoderm, mesoderm, and entoderm

7 to 8

Initial attachment to endometrium 11 to 12

Implantation 18

Testes or Ovaries differentiated 28

Formation of scrotum in male and clitoris in female 44

Secretion of pituitary hormones begins 50

Formation of seminal vesicles, prostate and bulbourethral gland in male , and oviducts, uterus, and vagina in female

51

Testes enter inguinal canal in male 95

Birth 114

Adapted from Pond et al., 1991


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Fetal Programming (Barker, 1997) is a process by which an acute or chronic stimulus in utero elicits a response in the fetus that permanently impacts physiologic function later in life.


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In swine, fetuses are programmed as a consequence of:

Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR)

Factors such as husbandry and handling of the gestating sow


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National Animal Health Monitoring System, 2008


1990 1995 2000 20068

9

10

11

12

BornBorn LiveWeaned

Year

Litt

er

Siz

e

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3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 180

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Pig

s w

ith b

irth

we

igh

ts

< 1

.0 k

g, %

Litter Size

(1) (3)(0) (2) (3) (9)(7)

(8)(11)

(18)

(18)

(14)

(8)

(5)

(3)

(1)

Litters farrowed (n = 111) at the Tidewater AREC 4/11/09 – 7/18/10

(#) = number of litters



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Series10

20

40

60

80

100

54.4 92.4

< 1.0 > 1.0

Birth Weight, kg

Pig

s w

eane

d, %

Litters farrowed (n = 50) containing one to five light birth weight (< 1 kg) and one or more heavy birth weight (> 1 kg) pigs.

P < 0.01


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From: Fix , J.S. and M.T. See. 2009. Birth weight impacts weaning through finishing closeout. National Hog Farmer 54(12):14-15.


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Ovarian development in intrauterine growth-retarded (IUGR) and normally developed piglets originating from the same litter

Adapted from Da Silva-Buttkus et al., 2003

Item Normal Runt SE P

No. of piglets 14 14 --- ---

Body weight, kg 1.55 0.72 0.04 0.01

Ovarian mass, mg 108 51 9.6 0.01

No. of primordial follicles* 235 268 20.1 0.05

No. of primary follicles* 20 11 3 0.01

No. of secondary follicles* 1.0 0.0 0.5 0.05

*Values expressed per mm2 of ovarian cortex.


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1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25100

125

150

175

200

225

250

Litter Average Birth Weight, kg

Age

at

Pub

erty

, d

r = -0.43, P < 0.1


Age at puberty in gilts from litters (n = 33) with different average pig birth weights . Each point represents mean for 2 to 7 gilts.


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Series1160

170

180

190

200

210

186.7 198.3

> 1.5 < 1.5

Age

at

Pub

erty

, d

Average Litter Birth Weight, kg

P = 0.09



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In swine, fetuses are programmed as a consequence of:

Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR)

Factors such as husbandry and handling of the gestating sow


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Title Here, Optional or Unit IdentifierO’Gorman et al., 2007

Fetal exposure to maternal stress influences age at puberty in gilts

Crossbred sows served as controls or were stressed by subjection to daily restraint for 5 min during wk 12 to 16 of gestation.

Control Stressed150155160165170175

158

172

Age

at

Pub

erty

, d

P < 0.05


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Type of accommodation during gestation affects growth performance and reproductive

characteristics of gilt offspring

Gilts were farrowed by gilts kept in individual crates or group pens throughout gestation, or crates for the first 30 d post-mating and then group pens for the remainder of gestation.

No effect (P > 0.82) of gestation accommodation on nursery ADG, ADFI, or G:F.

Estienne and Harper, 2010a


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Item: Crates Pens Crates/Pens

SE P

No. Pens 9 9 9 --- ---

Daily gain, kg 1.0 0.96 0.96 0.02 0.13

Daily feed, kg 2.61 2.62 2.52 0.14 0.54

Feed/Gain 2.60a 2.73b 2.62a 0.04 0.05

Last Rib Backfat, mm

10.9c 12.5d 12.1c,d 0.5 0.09

1Each pen contained three gilts each.a,b c,d Within a row, means with different superscripts differ.



Grow-finish performance


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Accommodation x week, P =0.04

0 2 4 6 8 10 1220

40

60

80

100

120

Crates PensCrates/Pens

*

*


Week

Bod

y w

eigh

t, k

g



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Type of accommodation during gestation affects growth performance and reproductive characteristics of gilt offspring


Item Crates Pens Crates/Pens

SE P

Avg. wt of ovaries, g 9.1a 10.8b 9.9ab 1.0 0.07

Uterus wt, g 583.9 530.6 557.0 28.0 0.42

Follicular fluid wt, g 2.66a 4.55b 3.05a 0.59 0.08

Corpora lutea 15.3 16.1 14.9 0.7 0.55

Age at puberty, d 175.4 170.7 169.6 4.4 0.61

Pubertal by 165 d of age, %

13.0a 47.6b 41.7b --- 0.05

ab Within a row, means with different superscripts differ .


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Cortisol concentrations in serum of gilts kept in individual crates or group pens for the first

30 d post-mating

Group pens Crates0

25

50

75

100

57.1

79.4

Cor

tisol

, n

g/m

L se

rum

Estienne and Harper, 2006

P < 0.06


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Management of the suckling pig and future reproduction

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Series160

70

80

90

100

85.481.5

Fa

rro

win

g R

ate

, %

< 7 > 10

Neonatal litter size, pigs

P < 0.10

Flowers, 2008

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1 2 3 Total8

9

10

11

12

Pig

s b

orn

live

1 2 3 Total8

9

10

11

12

SmallLarge

Parity

Boar Exposure @ 140 d

Neonatal Litter Size

Boar Exposure @ 170 d

Neonatal Litter Size x Age at Boar Exposure, P < 0.05

*

Flowers, 2008

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Series10

25

50

75

56.3

37.6

So

ws

reta

ine

d a

fte

r th

ree

pa

ritie

s, %

< 7 > 10

Neonatal litter size, pigs

P < 0.05

Flowers, 2008

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Management of the nursery pig and future reproduction

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Effect of space allowance during rearing (from 38 to 128 kg body weight) on performance of PIC gilts over three parities

1.13 m2 0.77 m2 SE P

No. of gilts 510 747 --- ---

Gilts per pen 15 22 --- ---

ADG, g 758 752 10 0.49

Age at puberty, d 182 184 1.1 0.01

Parities 1 to 3 (Data for gilts farrowing 1, 2 or 3 litters)

Total born 25.7 24.7 0.8 0.21

Born alive 23.2 22.5 0.7 0.37

Removed by end of parity 3, % 44.6 48.2 2.3 0.28

Adapted from Young et al., 2008


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Series1500

520

540

560

580

600

6 gilts0.5 m2/gilt

12 gilts0.25 m2/gilt

6 gilts0.25 m2/gilt

AD

G,

g

P < 0.01

Cho et al., 2008

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Parity 1 Parity 20

2

4

6

8

10

12

8 gilts/pen16 gilts/pen

Pig

s B

orn

Aliv

e


Lindemann (personal communication)

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MethodsAnimal work performed at production facilities owned and

operated by Smithfield Premium Genetics (nursery: 40 pens/room; 7 rooms).

At weaning, gilts will be randomly placed in nursery pens to allow 0.17, 0.25, or 0.33 m2 floor space/pig.

Gilts weighed at the beginning and end of 5-wk nursery phase of production and average daily gain determined.

Blood samples will be collected from subset of gilts to determine blood chemistry profiles, complete blood count and cortisol levels.

Subsequent reproductive performance determined through three parities (at least 500 gilt/sow records per treatment group).


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Summary

Increasing litter size increases the proportion of pigs with low-birth weight phenotypes.

In addition to well-documented poorer growth performance and carcass quality, low-birth weight pigs are programmed in utero such that reproductive characteristics are adversely affected.

Management and husbandry practices to which sows are exposed may program fetuses such that future growth and reproduction is impacted.

Stressors during the suckling and nursery phases of production may have long-term consequences on reproductive efficiency.



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Implications

Long-term, the low-birth weight pig issue must be addressed through genetics.

Short-term, need for nutritional or management strategies that mitigate at least some of the consequences of fetal programming in low-birth weight pigs.

Refine farrowing room and nursery management to consider effects on future reproduction.

Manage gestating sows to increase welfare.



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The EndTidewater ARECSwine Program2012- Allen D. Leman Swine

Conference


dr. mark estienne - nursery management and sow longevity

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