The experiment studied the effect of oral supplementation of piglets born with less than 3.050 kg (LP) (CON: control; COL: 15 ml of sow colostrum within 4 h from birth), and the effect of cross-fostering 24 h after farrowing (CG: litter fixed with less than 50% of the piglets being LP with minimum number of movements; CP: litter fixed with most of the piglets being LP) on litter performance. Forty six litters were used. Litters were allocated to 1 of the 4 treatments: CON-CG, CON-CP, COL-CG, COL-CP. Piglets were weighed on d1 and 19 post-partum. Mortality was recorded. CP sows had lower within litter CV of BW (CVBW) at d1 than CG sows (16.2 vs. 21.9�0.91%,P=0.003) but they did not differ for CVBW at d19 (23.2 vs. 23.4�1.72%; P>0.10). At d19, CG sows had lower number of dead piglets (NDP) than CP sows (0.80 vs. 1.69�0.307; P=0.022) and COL-CG sows had lower NDP than CON-CG (0.47 vs. 1.14�0.160; P=0.062). Cross-fostering LP at the same litter did not prevent from increasing the CVBW at weaning. Colostrum supplementation of LP piglets in non-homogenized litters might be the best management strategy to improve litter performance.
Muns, R.; Silva, C.; Manteca, X.; Gasa, J; Does oral supplementation of colostrum and cross-fostering help to improve piglet and litter performance?; XV Jornadas sobre Producci�n Animal, Zaragoza 14 y 15 de mayo de 2013 2013 pp. 34-36 http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/20133263874.html