Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproduction, Centre of Excellence in Swine Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Department of Reproduction and Obstetrics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
Reprod Domest Anim. 2024 Jan;59(1):e14500. doi: 10.1111/rda.14500. Epub 2023 Nov 1.
This study analysed data from a commercial swine herd in Thailand equipped with a free-farrowing housing system, comprising 17,196 piglets from 1318 litters, to explore the impact of sow and litter characteristics on the piglet birth weight and the incidence of stillbirth. The piglets were classified into four groups based on the total number of piglets born per litter (TB): ≤9 (n = 1434), 10-12 (n = 3232), 13-15 (n = 6537) and ≥16 (n = 5993). Sows were classified into four groups based on parity number: 1, 2-4, 5-7 and ≥8. The piglets were categorized into quartiles based on their birth order ranking: Q1 (n = 4786), Q2 (n = 4143), Q3 (n = 3808) and Q4 (n = 4456). Piglet birth weight was individually measured before colostrum ingestion. On average, TB, the number of live-born piglets and the incidence of stillbirth were 13.1 ± 3.7, 11.5 ± 3.8 and 6.3%, respectively. Among these litters, 26.6% had TB numbers ≥16. The average piglet birth weight was 1.37 ± 0.36 kg, with 18.3% of piglets weighing ≤1.0 kg at birth. Piglet birth weight was influenced by birth order ranking, as Q4 piglets were found to be heavier than piglets born in Q1-Q3 (p < .001). Moreover, the percentage of piglets with a birth weight of ≤1.0 kg increased from 5.9% in litters with TB of ≤9-25.3% in litters with TB of ≥16 (p < .001). Additionally, primiparous sows had lower piglet birth weights compared to sows with parity numbers 2-4, 5-7 and ≥8 (p < .001). Piglets born in the fourth quartile (Q4) had a higher risk of stillbirth compared to those born in the first (Q1), second (Q2) and third (Q3) quartiles (12.5% vs. 2.2%, 4.1% and 6.6%, respectively, p < .001). The incidence of stillbirth in litters with TB ≥16 was also higher than that in litters with TB ≤9 and 10-12 (p < .05). Furthermore, sows with parity numbers ≥8 had a higher incidence of stillbirth (9.7%) compared to primiparous sows (4.0%, p < .001), sows with 2-4 parity (5.2%, p < .001) and sows with 5-7 parity (7.6%, p = .003). In summary, a high incidence of stillbirth was found in piglets born in the last quartile of litters, in litters with >16 piglets and for sows with parity numbers ≥8. Piglets born in the last quartile of litters were heavier than those born in the first to third quartiles.
这项研究分析了泰国一个配备自由分娩饲养系统的商业猪场的数据，该系统涵盖了 1318 窝、17196 头仔猪，旨在探讨母猪和窝产仔数特征对仔猪初生重和死产发生率的影响。根据窝产仔总数（TB），将仔猪分为四组：≤9（n=1434）、10-12（n=3232）、13-15（n=6537）和≥16（n=5993）。根据胎次数，母猪分为四组：1、2-4、5-7 和≥8。根据出生顺序排名，将仔猪分为四组：Q1（n=4786）、Q2（n=4143）、Q3（n=3808）和 Q4（n=4456）。仔猪在摄入初乳前进行个体称重。平均而言，TB、活产仔数和死产发生率分别为 13.1±3.7、11.5±3.8 和 6.3%。在这些窝产仔中，26.6%的窝产仔数≥16。仔猪平均初生重为 1.37±0.36kg，18.3%的仔猪初生重≤1.0kg。仔猪初生重受出生顺序的影响，Q4 仔猪比 Q1-Q3 出生的仔猪更重（p<0.001）。此外，TB≤9的窝产仔中≤1.0kg 的仔猪比例为 5.9%，而 TB≥16 的窝产仔中这一比例上升至 25.3%（p<0.001）。初产母猪的仔猪初生重低于胎次数为 2-4、5-7 和≥8 的母猪（p<0.001）。第四四分位数（Q4）出生的仔猪比第一（Q1）、第二（Q2）和第三（Q3）四分位数出生的仔猪更易发生死产（12.5%比 2.2%、4.1%和 6.6%，p<0.001）。TB≥16 的窝产仔中死产发生率也高于 TB≤9 和 10-12 的窝产仔（p<0.05）。此外，胎次数≥8 的母猪死产发生率（9.7%）高于初产母猪（4.0%，p<0.001）、胎次数为 2-4 的母猪（5.2%，p<0.001）和胎次数为 5-7 的母猪（7.6%，p=0.003）。综上所述，最后一个窝产仔四分位数的仔猪、窝产仔数>16 的仔猪以及胎次数≥8 的母猪中死产发生率较高。最后一个窝产仔四分位数出生的仔猪比前三个四分位数出生的仔猪更重。
