When should we feed sows in farrowing?

Aug 20, 2024

This study explores the impact of feeding times (morning vs. evening) on farrowing times in sows. It was conducted with 278 sows divided into groups for morning and evening feeding. The results indicated that feeding sows in the morning significantly increased the frequency of farrowing during daytime hours, which can reduce labor costs by aligning farrowing times with worker availability. Additionally, evening-fed sows exhibited an increased total feed intake and slightly higher daily feed intake, leading to more piglets weaned and reduced pre-weaning mortality.

Key Findings:

Morning feeding led to 51.43% of farrowing occurring during the day, compared to 21.95% for evening feeding.
Evening-fed sows had higher total feed intake and a slight increase in daily intake.
More piglets were weaned and pre-weaning mortality decreased in sows that were fed in the evening.

Implications:

These results suggest that morning feeding schedules may align farrowing times with worker availability, reducing labor costs and improving piglet survival rates. Further research is needed to optimize feeding schedules to enhance farrowing outcomes.

Source : Swine Web

Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.