Effect of Increasing Feed Intake During Late Gestation on Piglet Performance at Parturition in Commercial Production Enterprises

The present study was conducted to investigate effects of feed intake during late gestation on piglet birth weight and reproductive performance of sows. At d 90 of gestation (Gd90), a total of 397 Landrance × Large White gilts (parity 1) and sows (parities 2, 3, and 4) were randomly assigned to three groups according to feed intake, 2.8 kg/d (energy maintenance requirement for gilts and sows, 8.40 Mcal/d ME), 3.6 kg/d (10.26 Mcal/d ME), and 4.0 kg/d (11.40 Mcal/d ME), respectively. All gilts and sows were individually fed. Results indicate the increase in feed intake had no effect on birth weight and uniformity of piglet weight at parturition for sows with different backfat thickness (BF) at Gd90 or with different parities. Additionally, lactation body weight (BW) loss was greater (P < 0.05) in response to the greater feed intake during late gestation. Furthermore, there were no correlations between feed intake during late gestation and litter weight, average piglet birth weight, coefficient variation of within-litter birth weight (CVB), number of piglets with birth weight < 1.00 kg, and piglet weaning weight. In addition, the greater feed intake during late gestation led to a marked increase in reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde (P < 0.05) and glutamine peroxidase tended to be less (P =  0.08) in plasma at parturition. In conclusion, the greater feed intake (exceeding energy requirement for maintenance) during late gestation had no effect on piglet birth weight or weaning weight, and led to greater oxidative stress at parturition and greater BW loss during lactation.