From gestation to farrowing: The growing importance of the transition period
The change from gestation to lactation feed concerns us, but in practice we are conditioned to this change taking place abruptly.
The change from gestation to lactation feed concerns us, but in practice we are conditioned to this change taking place abruptly.
Which is better: to look at feed intake per day or nutrient intake per day?
Factors we should keep in mind when considering the nutritional needs of sows in the transition period: body condition, parity, piglet mortality, glycogen in piglets, colostrum, and milk.
Aspects to keep in mind when considering sows' nutritional needs in the transition period: fetal growth and associated tissues, mammary development, endogenous heat, and adaptive physiological processes.
The withdrawal of ZnO in the EU and the UK, and the pressure to reduce the use of antibiotics, has accelerated the shift to implement alternatives to protect postweaning gut health.