Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
0
Absence of faeces
-
1
Dry and pellet - shaped (unformed)
Between dry and normal (pellet -
shaped and formed)
2
Normal and soft, but
rm and
well formed
3
Between normal and wet; still
formed, but not
rm
4
Very wet faeces, unformed and
liquid
5
Figure 10.4. Faecal score applicable to evaluate intestinal activity in sows over a week (data from Oliviero
et
al
., 2009).
When higher concentrations of crude fibre are offered in late pregnancy (≥7-10%), the effect
of constipation is less severe and sows recover proper intestinal activity faster than when
fed diets with lower concentrations of crude fibre (<4%). Recent studies demonstrated that
during the period from five days before to five days after farrowing, sows fed a 7% crude
fibre diet had an average faecal score of 2.1±1.3 (mean ± SD), compared with an average
score of 1.2±1.1 for sows fed a 3% crude fibre diet (Figure 10.5).
In that study, 22% of the sows in the low fibre group exhibited extremely severe constipation
(more than five consecutive days without producing faeces), whereas only 5% of the sows
in the high fibre group exhibited this condition (Figure 10.6). The average individual daily
water consumption was also higher in the high fibre group (29.8±4.9 l) than in the low
fibre group (20.2±3.3 l) (Figure 10.7).When sows are lacking an adequate source of fibre
in their late pregnancy diet, a mild constipation at farrowing can worsen and develop into
severe constipation, and thus negatively influence the duration of farrowing, sow water
intake and likely sow welfare.
On days 1 and 5 postpartum, respectively, piglets weighed 1.8±0.3 kg and 2.5±0.3 kg in
the high-fibre group, and 1.7±0.3 kg and 2.3±0.5 in the low-fibre group. Piglet weight
gain from days 1 to 5 was also greater in the high-fibre group. These results imply a
positive effect of feeding sows a high-fibre diet before farrowing on the performance of
their suckling piglets.
