Pig_Progress_Lignocellose_helps_to_shorten_farrowing_time_032020 (2)

1. ▶▶▶ NUTRITION Wood is a natural source of lignocellulose. Lignocellulose helps to shorten farrowing time to use standardised, quality proven and sanitised prod- ucts from wood-derived lignocellulose. In general, fibre is considered in the context of avoiding constipation; however, depending on the quality, lignocellu- lose has the ability to offer more than that. through the absorption of butyric acid than untreated control animals. The sow can receive up to 25% of her maintenance energy requirement from the fermentation of dietary fibre in the colon. The energy from the enzymatic digestion in the small intestine is available up to five hours after ingestion, while the fermentation products from the colon are provided over a period of 24 hours. For the sow, this extra energy means reduced hunger and stress and, above all, more ener- gy for the birthing process. This increased energy supply available over a longer time period has a strong influence on the duration of the farrowing length. More than three minutes – that is the gain in time piglets were observed to have in Austria during a smooth birth process. The three minutes of being born quicker means three minutes less struggle and getting access to colostrum and oxygen three minutes earlier. Now, how to get there? Quality of lignocellulose Current commercially available lignocellulose products can be classified into two categories based on their effects in the gastrointestinal tract. As purely insoluble fibre concentrate, lignocellulose prod- ucts differ highly in their grade of fermentability and thus can affect the animals’ digestive tract via one of the two following effects. Turning theory to practice In 2019, an Austrian swine producer experienced the differ- ence. Simply by supplementing lignocellulose (OptiCell, Agromed) as an insoluble fibre carrier with fermentable and non-fermentable components to the gestating feed, the en- tire birth process per sow was shortened by an average of more than 62 minutes compared to the untreated control group. That means that the critical phase of the birth process that every piglet had to go through was three minutes and 21 seconds shorter. Moreover, that reduced parturition length was accompanied by an increase of the number of live-born piglets from an average of 16.7 to 17.6. If the total litter size is included in the comparison, the lignocellulose treatment in- creased the relative proportion of live-born piglets from 88.8% to 95.1%. FOTO: PHOTO: AGROMED/ISTOCK Physical effects Due to its indigestible and non-fermentable fibre content, lignocellulose optimises the consistency of sow faeces, affect- ing constipation around farrowing. Here, excessively hard fae- ces create an additional physical barrier (in addition to the al- ready extremely precarious lack of visceral space) and press on the birth canal. Due to its structure-giving properties, lignocel- lulose provides for an easily deformable consistency of the fae- ces. It also enhances the peristaltic activity of the gut, further facilitating the passage of the piglets through the birth canal. conse- quences, with the most obvious one be- ing long exposure to pain and a stress- ful period for both the sows and the pig- lets. Furthermore, a prolonged farrowing time increases the proportion of stillborn piglets. According to Professor Peter Kappel Theil of Aarhus University, Denmark, extending a birthing period by 100 minutes means the loss of two piglets or more. The longer the struggle to pass through the birth canal, the more the piglet is exhausted and disad- vantaged compared to highly vital piglets. Those highly ac- tive piglets will find the mother’s teats earlier and profit from early feeding which, in turn, beneficially influences gut growth and gut development. Farrowing duration can affect colostrum yield and therefore is directly linked to an optimal supply to the newborn piglets of energy and immunoglobu- lins (Ig). Just three hours after birth, the permeability of the piglet gut for Ig is already reduced to 50%. Furthermore, a prolonged farrowing time correlates with re- duced fertility of sows due to prolonged placenta expulsion. Management of the farrowing time can influence all of these consequences to a certain extent. Effective nutritional tool The farrowing duration of sows is closely related to the pro- portion of live-born piglets, colostrum yield, piglet perfor- mance and the sow’s fertility for the next cycle. A proper se- lection of the lignocellulose product added to a sow’s gestating diet can help to achieve a faster birth process by optimising gut functions and improving the sow’s energy supply. One of the most effective nutritional tools is the inclu- sion of a quality, insoluble dietary fibre consisting of both fermentable and non-fermentable components. Physiological effects Lignocellulose products that contain insoluble and non-fer- mentable fibre as well as a portion of insoluble but fermenta- ble fibre give rise to both physical and physiological benefits. The fermentable portion is broken down by microbes in the colon, resulting in the formation of lactic acid and butyric acid. Butyric acid in turn is a valuable source of energy for colonocytes. Consequently, the animal is better supplied with energy BY STEFAN HIRTENLEHNER AND CHRISTINE POTTHAST, AGROMED, AUSTRIA R rearing, there is a rule of thumb that seems quite plausible at first glance: more piglets means more profit. Therefore, the breeding goal is to have as many piglets per litter as possible. However, on-farm, increased litter size is often accompanied by low piglet birth weights and increased piglet mortality. Consequently, the pig producer should not aim to have as many newborn piglets as possible, but rather to raise as many robust, viable and competitive weaners as possible. ecent genetic progress achieved in sows poses a ma- jor challenge to management. Many hurdles need to be overcome to make modern pig production as effi- cient and profitable as possible. Regarding piglet References upon request Figure 2 - Number of live-born piglets per litter depending on the feeding regime. 30 Figure 1 - Duration of farrowing process (in minutes) depending on the feeding regime. 900 25 750 20 600 Inclusion of standardised fibre products Supplementing sow diets with dietary fibre offers the oppor- tunity to reduce the farrowing time via a nutritional tool. The success of dietary fibre inclusion depends mainly on proper selection of the fibre source. In contrast to many convention- al fibre sources, such as wheat bran and sugar beet pulp, which vary in quality and availability over the season and bear the risk of mycotoxin contamination, it is advantageous 15 450 An underestimated factor of success Exploiting the full genetic potential and producing large lit- ters of live-born piglets is still possible if enough resources are given to management and if proper, well-balanced sow nutrition is guaranteed. Large litters are closely related to prolonged farrowing dura- tion. A long parturition time carries the risk of many negative 10 300 150 5 0 0 Lignocellulose* Control Lignocellulose* Control * OptiCell, Agromed. * OptiCell, Agromed. 22 23 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 36, No. 3, 2020 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 36, No. 3, 2020