Piglet mortality significantly affects swine herd productivity, with rates of 10% to 20% and up to 50-80% of deaths occurring within the first week after birth. Key factors influencing mortality include piglet birth weight, colostrum intake, and environmental conditions, with crushing and inadequate nutrition being major causes. Strategies aimed at improving survival rates focus on enhancing colostrum consumption and managing maternal stress during the farrowing process.

1. REDUCING MORTALITY IN PIGLETS
Prepared by:
Dr. Manoj Kumar Singh
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Livestock Production Management
College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences
SVPUA&T, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
Email: drmanoj611@gmail.com

2.  PIG REARING MOST IMPORTANT OCCUPATIONS
OF WEAKER SECTIONS OF SOCIETY (TRIBAL
MASSES) & PEOPLE OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
OF COUNTRY.
 20th LIVESTOCK CENSUS PIGS IN THE COUNTRY
ARE 9.06 MILLION Nos. (1.8% OF TOTAL
LIVESTOCK).
 DESPITE SHORTER GI & MORE LITTER SIZE
TOTAL PIGS IN THE COUNTRY DECREASED BY
12.3% OVER THE PREVIOUS CENSUS.
 ASSAM HAS THE MAX. No. OF PIGS, ABOUT
15.89% TOTAL PIG POPULATION. CURRENTLY,
INTRODUCTION

3. 0 100 200 300 400 500
CHINA
EUROPEAN UNION
UNITED STATES
BRAZIL
RUSSIA
CANADA
SOUTH KOREA
MEXICO
JAPAN
INDIA
UKRAINE
BELARUS
440.6
150.26
73.15
38.83
22.94
14.17
11.27
10.41
9.28
9.06
6.24
3.16
No. of Pigs in Million Heads
Number of pigs worldwide in 2018, by leading
country (in million head)
10th
Asof2018,therewereabout781.3millionofpigs
worldwide,upfrom776.42millionpreviousyear.
(Source: Published by M. Shahbandeh, Aug 9, 2019
https://www.statista.com/statistics/263963/number-of-pigs-worldwide-since-1990/)

4.  PIGLET MORTALITY IS MAJOR REPRODUCTIVE
COMPONENT THAT AFFECTS HERD PRODUCTIVITY
OF SWINE INDUSTRY.
 PRODUCTION TARGET: 30 PIGS WEANED/SOW
/YEAR (Knox, 2005).
 ACHIEVED BY 2 WAYS:
• IMPROVING NUMBER OF PIGLETS BORN ALIVE
• REDUCING FARROWING INTERVAL
(Marantidis et al., 2013)
………….INTRODUCTION

5.  DESPITE IMPROVEMENTS IN LITTER SIZE
THROUGH GENETIC SELECTION, MEAN PIGLET
PRE-WEANING MORTALITY (PWM) RATE
RANGES BETWEEN 10% - 20%
(Kilbride et al., 2010; Kirkden et al., 2013a; Koketsu et al., 2006;
Tuchscherer et al., 2000)
………….INTRODUCTION
PWM RATE OF
12.9% : EU
9.4% : PHILIPPINES
12.2% : THAILAND
(Interpigs reports, 2014; Bureau of Agricultural Statistical of
Philippine, 2012; Nuntapaitoon and Tummaruk, 2013b, 2015)
 MORTALITY RATE
NURSING : 2.6%
FINISHING PHASE : 2.5%
(Euaverages, Interpigs Reports, 2014)

6.  50–80% OF PIGLET DEATHS OCCUR DURING 1st
WEEK AFTER BIRTH, MOSTCRITICAL PERIOD:
FIRST 72 Hrs OF LIFE
(Koketsu etal.,2006; shankar etal.,2009).
FACTORS UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS:
 PIGLET BIRTH BW
 LITTER SIZE
 BIRTH ORDER
 GENDER
 PARITY
 FARROWING DURATION
 MATERNAL BEHAVIOUR
 SOW NUTRITIONAL STATUS
 ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURE
(Baxter etal., 2009; Muns etal., 2013; Panzardi etal., 2013).
………….INTRODUCTION

7. CAUSES OF MORTALITY IN PIGLETS
 CRUSHING (33.8%)
 CHILLING & STARVATION AS UNDERLYING
CAUSES
(Alonso Spilsbury et al., 2007; Edwards, 2002; Herpin et
al., 2002). Vaillancourt et al. (1990)
 LOW VIABILITY (29.7%)
 SCOURS (12.2%)
 INFECTION (8.1%)
 DEFORMITY (5.5%)
 OTHERS (congenital
or savaging) (10.7%)
Koketsu et al. (2006)

8.  STRESS OF BIRTH: TO COPE WITH DECREASE IN
AMBIENT TEMP., & TO COMPETE WITH
SIBLINGS.
 PHYSIOLOGICALLY & IMMUNOLOGICALLY
IMMATURE: EPITHELIOCHORIAL PLACENTA,
PASSIVE IMMUNITY SUPPLY, MAINLY FROM IG
(IgG) IN COLOSTRUM
(Herpin et al., 1996, 2002; Tuchscherer et al., 2000)
 BORN WITH NO BROWN ADIPOSE TISSUE,
(THERMO- REGULATION)
(Berthon et al.,1993)
 BORN WET (PLACENTAL FLUIDS) & WITH HIGH
SURFACE/VOLUME RATIO (SMALL SIZE),
PRONE TO CHILLING & STARVATION.
……………...Causes of Mortality

9.  HYPOTHERMIA & DEFICITS ENERGY INTAKE
(WEAKEN PIGLET & INCREASE RISK OF
CRUSHING BY SOWS).
 PWM, AT EARLY STAGES, IS OUTCOME OF
COMPLEX INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PIGLET,
SOW & ENVIRONMENT, WITH CRUSHING BEING
FINALACT IN A COMPLEX CHAIN OF EVENTS
(Alonso Spilsbury et al., 2007; Edwards, 2002)
 INADEQUATE COLOSTRUM INTAKE (UNDER
SUPPLY OF NUTRIENTS & IGs) MAIN FACTOR
TRIGGERS EARLY DEATH
(Casellas et al., 2004; Edwards, 2002; le Dividich et al., 2005;
Quesnel et al., 2012)
……………...Causes of Mortality

10. FACTORS INFLUENCING MORTALITY
IN PIGLETS
CLASSIFIED IN THREE MAJOR GROUPS:
1. PIGLET 2. SOW 3. ENVIRONMENTAL

11. PIGLET FACTORS
1. BIRTH WEIGHT:
IMPORTANT FOR SURVIVAL & PERFORMANCE
(Baxter et al., 2008; Fix et al., 2010; Muns et al., 2013; Rootwelt et al.,
2013)
SMALLER PIGLETS: LOW ABILITY TO MAINTAIN
B. TEMP.
(Theil etal.,2012)
BW OF >1.8Kg HAD A SURVIVAL RATE OF OVER
90%, BW OF 700g SURVIVAL RATE OF 33%
(Chris et al.,2012)
+VELY CORRELATED WITH COLOSTRUM INTAKE
(Amdi et al., 2013; Ferrari et al., 2014; Nuntapaitoon et al., 2014a)

12.  REDUCED ENERGY RESERVE
 LOW BODY-MASS INDEX (+VELY CORRELATED WITH
BODY MUSCLE, GLYCOGEN STORAGE & SURVIVAL
RATE)
(Amdi et al., 2013)
 BW: IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF PIGLET SURVIVAL –
THERMOREGULATION ABILITY.
 REQUIRE LONGER TO REACH TEAT & SUCKLE. LESS
COMPETITIVE FOR A TEAT THAN HEAVIER
LITTERMATES THUS LOW CI
(Rookeandbland, 2002; le Dividich et al.,2005; Tuchscherer et al.,
2000).
 SMALL PIGLETS MOVE SLOWLY DUE TO BRAIN
MYELINATION IMPAIRMENT, AFFECTS SPEED OF NERVE
IMPULSE TRANSMISSION, THUS COMPROMISING
SUCKLING & INCREASING ODDS OF CRUSHING.
Vallet and miles (2012)

13.  GENETIC SELECTION FOR SOWS WITH
INCREASED LITTER SIZE: REDUCTION IN BW,
UTERINE SPACE & NUTRIENTS FOR FOETUS
DEVELOPMENT
(Campos et al. 2012)
 DUETOPLACENTA SIZE: FOETAL GROWTH VARY
IN PLACENTA VASCULARISATION & EFFICIENCY.
SMALL PLACENTA RESULTS IN A LOW GLUCOSE &
FRUCTOSE SUPPLY TO THE FOETUS, (DECREASED
GROWTH RATE & BW)
Roeheand kalm (2000)
 PLACENTAL INSUFFICIENCY: INTRA-UTERINE
GROWTH RESTRICTION INFLUENCES BW &
THETHERMO- REGULATORY CAPABILITIES OF
PIGLETS
(Baxter et al., 2008; Rootwelt et al., 2013; Mellor and Stafford, 2004)

14. PIGLET ANAEMIA (Hypochromic-Microcytic Anaemia)
 PIGLETS REARED IN CONFINEMENT NEED
SUPPLEMENTATION OF Fe AS THEY HAVE NO
ACCESS TO SOIL & DEPEND ON SOWS’ MILK
BUT SOWS MILK IS DEFICIENT IN Fe (1mg/ lt.)
(Brady et al., 1978)
 NEWLY BORN PIGLET HAS 12-13g/100ml OF Hb
IN BLOOD & RAPIDLY DROPS DOWN TO 6-7g
BY 10 TO 14 DAYS OF AGE. DECREASED
OXYGEN CARRYING CAPACITY TO BODY &
INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISEASE
(BSAS, 2003)

15. 2. VITALITY/VIABILITY
 CAPACITY OF A PIGLET TO COMPETE FOR A
TEAT & TO SUCKLE
(Trujillo-ortega et al., 2007)
 HIGH VITALITY:IMPROVED SURVIVAL RATE AT
7 DAYS AND AT 10 DAYS OF LIFE
(Baxter et al., 2008; vasdal et al., 2011)
 POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH PIGLET
GROWTH & SURVIVAL AT WEANING
(Muns et al., 2013)
 VITALITY SCORE: RECODS OF ‘HR, MUSCLE
TONE, RESPIRATION ON SET, ATTEMPTS TO
STAND AT BIRTH & RECTAL TEMP 1 hr AFTER
BIRTH +VELY RELATED TO SURVIVAL
(Baxter et al., 2009; Casellas et al., 2004; Randall,
1971; Zaleski and Hacker, 1993b).

16.  ABILITY TO FIRST SUCKLE & THERMO
REGULATION FOR FIRST 24 h REFLECT VITALITY
& +VELY CORRELATED WITH CI
(Herpin et al., 1996; Tuchscherer et al.,2000)
 CAPACITY OF ROOTING BEHAVIOUR (ROOTING
RESPONSE TEST) SURVIVING PIGLETS SHOWS
HIGHER ROOTING CAPACITY
(Baxter et al., 2009)
 BEHAVIOURAL TRAITS (UDDER STIMULATION
REFLEX, CAPACITY TO MOVE WITHIN A
CIRCULAR ENCLOSURE) INDICATES VITALITY
(Muns et al., 2013)
INTEGRITY OF UMBILICAL CORD (ALTERATION
OR RUPTURE ) REDUCES BLOOD PERFUSION,
CAUSING ANEMIA/HYPOXIA
(Rootwelt et al., 2012, 2013)

17. VITALITY DIRECTLY INFLUENCE INTRA-PARTUM
HYPOXIA (ASPHYXIA DURING DELIVERY) CAUSES
STILL BIRTH & EARLY PWM, LOW CAPACITY TO
COMPETE FOR TEAT & INCREASES INTERVAL B/W
BIRTH & 1st SUCKLING, LEADS TO HYPOTHERMIA
& STARVATION
(Zaleski and Hacker, 1993b; Trujilloortega et al., 2007)
CONGENITAL MALFORMATION & PHY.
ABNORMALITY (SPLAY-LEG) IMPEDE
MOVEMENTS/DAMAGE TO CNS, TRIGGER BY
INTRA PARTUM HYPOXIA, INCREASE CRUSHING.
(Herpin et al.,1996)
BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS: HIGH GLUCOSE CONC.
(45–162 mg/dl) & LOW GLUCOSE (24–30 mg/ dl) SIGN
OF LOW GLYCOGEN RESERVES; BOTH -VELY
INFLUENCE PIGLET VITALITY & SURVIVAL
(Herpin et al., 1996; Motarojas et al., 2011; Nuntapaitoon and
Tummaruk, 2014a; Panzardi et al., 2013; Trujilloortega et al., 2007)

18.  BIRTH ORDER & POSTERIOR BODY
PRESENTATION +VELY INFLUENCE INTRA-
PARTUM HYPOXIA & 'VITALITY
(Herpin et al., 1996 ; Van Dijk et al., 2005)
 UTERINE CONTRACTIONS WITH LONG
FARROWING DURATION REDUCES
OXYGENATION & HIGHER RISK FOR PIGLETS
BORN LATER
(Alonso Spilsbury et al., 2005; Root Welt et al., 2013; Zaleski &
Hacker, 1993a)
 BIRTH INTERVALS >30 MIN. INCREASES HYPOXIA
Nuntapaitoon and Tummaruk (2014b)
 OVER USE OF OXYTOCIN (IMMEDIATELY AFTER
BIRTH OF 1st PIGLET OR OVER DOSING)
COMPROMISE VITALITY BY INCREASING
FREQUENCY, INTENSITY & DURATION OF
UTERINE CONTRACTIONS
(Mota Rojas et al., 2005, 2006, 2007)

19. 3. Gender
 PWM IS SEX-BIASED, MALE BEING AT GREATER
RISK OF DEATH, DESPITE HAVING HIGHER BW
(Herpin et al., 2002; Baxter et al., 2012a)
 FEMALES INVEST ENERGY RESOURCES IN
SPECIFIC PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
(THERMOREGULATION & IMMUNO
COMPETENCE), MALES INVEST ENERGY
RESOURCE IN BODY SIZE & BODY COMPOSITION
(REPRODUCTIVE FITNESS IN ADULTHOOD),
PREDISPOSING MALE TO CAUSAL MORTALITY
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ENERGETIC
DEMANDS (CHILLING, STARVATION, CRUSHING
OR EVEN DISEASE).
Baxter et al. (2012a)

20. SOW FACTORS
1. Colostrum
 FIRST MILK SECRETED BY MAMMARY GLAND,
SOWS CONTINUOUSLY SECRETE FROM
FARROWING UPTO 12– 24 Hrs
(Quesnel et al.,2012)
 RICH SOURCE OF DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS &
VARIOUS BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS (Igs, ENZY.,
HORM. & GF)
(Rookeand Bland, 2002; Wu et al., 2010)
 KEY ROLE IN PIGLET THERMOREGULATION,
ACQUISITION OF PASSIVE IMMUNITY & INTES.
DEVELOPMENT
(Devillers et al., 2007)

21.  HIGH CONTENT OF FAT & LACTOSE HELPS TO
COPE WITH COLD STRESS ( INCREASES MET.
RATE & MAINTAIN HOMEOTHERMIC BALANCE)
(Herpin et al., 2005; Le Dividich et al.,1994)
 RECTAL TEMP. AT 24 hr OF AGE IS +VLY
CORRELATED WITH CI & -VELY CORRELATED
WITH TIME INTERVAL B/W BIRTH & 1st
SUCKLING
(Devillers et al., 2011 Tuchscherer et al., 2000)
 PRIMARY PROTEIN COMPONENT OF
COLOSTRUM (IgG, IgM & IgA). IgG COMMON
BIOACTIVE COMPOUND & ITS HIGHEST CONC.
IN 1st FEW hrs POSTPARTUM & DECREASES
RAPIDLY WITHIN 24h
(Herpin et al., 2005; Markowska Daniel and Pomorska Mol, 2010;
Vallet et al., 2013)

22.  ABSORPTION OF IgG OCCURS BEFORE GUT
CLOSURE AT APPROX. 24 h OF AGE
(Bland et al., 2003; Quesnel et al., 2012; Rooke & bland, 2002).
 PROVIDING 15ml COLOSTRUM TO PIGLETS
INCREASES IgG PLASMA CONC. AT 4 DAYS OF
AGE.
 CONTAINS VARIOUS GROWTH FACTORS (IGF-I
& IGF-II, EPIDERMAL GF, INSULIN &
TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR- β).
REGULATORY ROLE IN STIMULATION OF GI
TISSUE GROWTH & MATURATION OF ITS
FUNCTION.
(Muns et al., 2014b; Xu et al., 2000; Rooke & Bland, 2002)

23.  250 g CI/PIGLET ENSURE OPTIMAL GROWTH &
PASSIVE IMMUNITY TO ANIMALS.
Quesnel et al. (2012)
 CI STIMULATES DEVEP. OF HIPPOCAMPUS
(BRAIN PROTEIN SYNTHESIS) EARLY
POSTNATAL PERIOD.
Pierzynowski et al. (2014)
 INCREASES BW GAIN AT WEANING
(Decaluwé et al.,2014; Devillers et al., 2004; le Dividich et al., 2005)
 FACTORS INFLUENCE CI: PIGLET VITALITY,
BIRTH ORDER, NO. OF PIGLETS BORN
ALIVE/LITTER & SOW NUTRITION
(Quesnel et al., 2012; Nuntapaitoon et al., 2014a,b; Theil et al., 2014a)
 ABILITY OF PIGLETS TO REACH UDDER &
SUCKLE INCREASES CI
(Amdi et al., 2013)

24.  COLOSTRUM YIELD HIGHLY VARIABLE AMONG
SOWS, WITHIN BREED, SAME CONDITIONS OF
HOUSING & MGMT.
(Devillers et al., 2007; Farmer and Quesnel,2009)
 STIMULATION OF UDDER ELICIT A MAX. COLO.
YIELD BY SOW
Fraser (1984)
 TOTAL COLOSTRUM YIELD VARIES 2.5 & 5.0 Kg
IN LITTER OF 8–12 PIGLETS
(Farmer et al., 2006)
 COL. YIELD DEPENDS ON BREED, FEED &
WATER INTAKE, ENERGY, SANITARY& PARITY
OF SOW OTHER FACTORS: FARROWING
INDUCTION, ENVIR. & HORMONE
(Quesnel, 2011; Decaluwé et al., 2013; Ferrari et al., 2014)

25.  POST-PARTUM DYSGALACTIA SYNDROME (PDS)
OR MASTITIS-METRITIS-AGALACTIA (MMA):
MULTIFACTORIAL PROCESS CAUSING
LACTATION FAILURE USUALLY DURING FIRST 3
DAYS AFTER FARROWING.
FACTORS:
 LATE TRANSFERRING OF SOWS TO
FARROWING FACILITIES
 ADLIB. FEEDING DURING 1st DAYS OF
LACTATION
 DYSTOCIA , CONSTIPATION
 POOR FLOOR HYGIENE
 HIGH AMBIENT TEMP.
(Kirkden et al., 2013b; Papadopoulos et al., 2010)

26. 2. PARITY
 LOWER PIGLET PWM PRIMIPAROUS SOWS
THAN IN MULTIPAROUS SOWS.
Muns et al. (2015)
 2nd & 3rd PARITY SOWS HAVE HIGHER
COLOSTRUM YIELD THAN OTHER PARITIES
(Devillers et al., 2007)
 SOWS WITH PARITY 4–6 HAVE HIGHER
COLOSTRUM YIELD THAN PRIMIPAROUS SOWS
(Ferrari et al., 2014)
 IMMUNE PROTECTION IN PROGENY OF
MULTIPAROUS SOWS IS GREATER THAN
PRIMIPAROUS SOWS (LOWER MORTALITY &
INCREASED DAILY GAIN)
(Ferrari et al., 2014)

27. 3. MATERNAL STRESS
 PERI-PARTUM PERIOD (4 DAYS BEFORE & UP TO 3 DAYS
AFTER FARROWING) A SENSITIVE PERIOD. SOWS IS
STRESSED (NEW ENVIRONMENT & PARTURITION
PROCESS)
(Baxter et al., 2011b; Muns et al., 2014a; Yun et al., 2015)
 STRESS INCREASES DURATION OF FARROWING &
DECREASES COLOSTRUM PRODUCTION (REDUCING
ENERGY & IgG SUPPLY)
(Edwards, 2002; Oliviero et al., 2008)
 AFFECT BEHAVIOUR OF SOW (RESTLESSNESS &
AGGRESSIVENESS)
(Kalantaridou et al., 2004)
 INCREASES CRUSHING & PREVENTS SUCKLING
(Baxter et al., 2011a; Muns et al. (2014a)
 HIGHER MORTALITY & REDUCED DAILY GAIN
(REDUCTION IN THERMOREGULATION ABILITY BY
INHIBITION OF THYROID FUNCTION
(Berthon et al., 1993)

28. 4. SOW NUTRITION
 MATERNAL NUTRIENTION PLAY IMPORTANT
ROLE IN PIGLET PWM & HAVE DIRECT IMPACT
ON PIGLETS 'BIRTH WEIGHT & VITALITY &
INFLUENCES FOETUSES DEVELOPMENT
Campos et al. (2012), De Vos et al. (2014a), Yuan et al. (2015)
 GESTATION DIETS WITH PROTEIN
RESTRICTION OR UNBALANCED AA INCREASE
INCIDENCE OF PIGLETS BORN WITH LOW BW
(Kim et al., 2009; Wu et al., 2006)
 SUPPLEMENTATION OF L-ARGININE OR L-
GLUTAMINE INCREASES BW OF PIGLETS
(Gao et al., 2012; Raghavanand Dikshit, 2004; Wu et al., 2013)
 SUPPLEMENTATION OF L-CARNITINE
IMPROVES SUCKLING
(Birkenfeld et al., 2006)

29.  DIETARY FAT SUPPLEMENTATION (GESTATION)
& GLUTAMINE (LACTATION) INCREASES MILK
PRODUCTION OF SOWS, ENHANCED PIGLET'S
GUT HEALTH, GROWTH RATE & SURVIVAL
RATE OF PIGLETS
(Laws et al., 2009; Jackson, 2004; Rooke et al., 2001a)
 FEEDING HIGH AMOUNT DIETRY FIBER
DURING GESTATION HAD BENEFICIAL EFFECT
ON CI OF PIGLETS
(Theil et al., 2014a)

30. Environmental factors
1. Season & temperature
 PWM IS HIGHEST IN COLD SEASON DUE TO:
 LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURE & COLD
STRESS.
 MORE RISK OF CRUSHING (Stays close to the
udder in search of a heat source.)
 CI DECREASES DURING COLD EXPOSURE,
(Starvation & reduced Ig conc.)
(Dial et al.,1992; Maderbacher et al.,1993; Shankar et al., 2009;
Pedersen et al., 2013)
 HAVE LOWER LIMIT OF THERMONEUTRAL
ZONE AT 2H OF LIFE CLOSE TO 34 °C
(Herpin et al., 2002)
 PWM DURING SUMMER (11.6%, july – september)
IS HIGHER THAN SPRING (9.4%,april – june)
Koketsu et al. (2006)

31.  SOWS HAVE THERMONEUTRAL ZONE 18 °C - 20
°C
(Silva et al., 2009)
 HIGH AMBIENT TEMP. DECREASE FEED INTAKE
OF LACTATING SOWS
(Li et al., 2010; Malmkvist et al., 2012)
 HEAT STRESS COMPROMISES COLOSTRUM &
MILK PRODUCTION IN SOWS
(Farmer & Quesnel, 2009; Farmer et al., 2010)
 REDUCE FREQUENCY & DURATION OF NURSING
PERIODS & INCREASE TIME SPENT IN
URINATING OR DEFECATING
(Silva et al., 2006)
 MAINTAINING HEAT LAMP IN SIDE CREEPAREA
INSTEAD OF IN FRONT CREEPAREA DURING 1st
DAY AFTER FARROWING, REDUCES SOW FI.
(Hrupka et al.,1998)

32. 2. Housing
 HOUSING SYSTEM & DESIGN HAS A STRONG
IMPACT ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF SOW &
PIGLET WELFARE & PERFORMANCE
 CONVENTIONAL FARROWING CRATES WERE
DESIGNED TO PREVENT CRUSHING BY
RESTRICTING SOW MOVEMENTS & PROVIDE A
ZONE OF RETREAT FOR THE PIGLETS.
 SOWS ARE RESTRICTED WITHIN A CRATE WITH
1.26 m.sq. FLOOR SPACE, PLACED WITHIN A PEN
AREA OF 3.54 m.sq.
(Vosough Ahmadi et al., 2011)

33. 3. Management
 FARROWING SUPERVISION WITH MANUAL BIRTH
ASSISTANCE
 DRYING NEWBORN PIGLETS
 ORALADMINISTRATION OF 12 ML OF BOVINE
COLOSTRUM
 OXYGEN ADMINISTRATION THROUGH AN ORAL MASK
 PLACING THEM AT UDDER IN LOOSE-HOUSED SOWS
 SPLIT NURSING: REMOVING LARGER PIGLETS IN A
LITTER FROM DAM FOR A SET PERIOD OF TIME TO
ALLOW SMALLER PIGLETS ADEQUATELY ACCESS TO
UDDER DURING FARROWING DAY
 CROSS-FOSTERING HAS A STRONG IMPACT ON PIGLET
SURVIVALAND PERFORMANCE
WERE MANAGEMENT COMBINATION WITH HIGHER
REDUCTION IN PIGLET MORTALITY & REDUCES NO. OF
STILLBIRTHS.
(Vanderhaeghe et al., 2013; White et al., 1996; Muns et al., 2014b)

34. MEASURES TO PREVENT MORTALITY
 CLOSE MONITORING OF BEHAVIORAL
ADAPTATIONS LIKE CONTACT OF PIGLETS
WITH UDDER OF A SOW
 PIGLETS (SMALL SIZE, LOW BW & VITALITY
INDEX) PLACED IN A SAFE SPOT UNDER HEAT
LAMP UNTIL THEY ARE ABLE TO COMPETE
FOR A TEAT
 USE OF FARROWING CRATES & FARROWING
RAILS ALONG ALL SIDES OF PEN
 ENSURE PROPER AMOUNT & TIMELY
COLOSTRUM FEEDING

35.  PROVIDE MODERATE OR LARGE AMOUNT OF
LITTER MATERIAL IN SOW AREA AT TIME OF
FARROWING
 OBSERVE BEHAVIORAL TRAITS (SNIFFING,
LOOKING AROUND & NOSING AS PRE-LYING
BEHAVIOR) IN FARROWED SOW SHOWED NO
CRUSHING OF PIGLETS.
Wischner et al. (2010)
 TAKE PROPER MEASURES DURING
PREWEANING PERIOD WITH REGARD TO
OLDER SOWS
 ENSURE PROPER CARE OF HEAVIER MALES,
WITH HIGHER BODY MASS INDEX

36.  NUTRITIONAL UTMOST IMPORTANCE DURING
LATE GESTATION & DURING LACTATION
PROVIDE INCREASED AMOUNT OF PROTEIN &
AA
 CONSIDERED AGE OF SOWS, LITTER SIZE, &
HEALTH STATUS IN DETERMINING NUTRIENT
NEEDS FOR MAMMARY GLAND GROWTH &
MILK PRODUCTION
 USES OF PHASE FEEDING IN GESTATING SOWS &
PARITY FEEDING OF LACTATING SOWS
ENHANCE PRODUCTION LONGEVITY & HEALTH
OF SOWS
 USE SELECTED NUTRIENTS & ADDITIVES TO
IMPROVES PRODUCTIVITY & HEALTH OF SOWS.

37.  USE IDEAL PROTEINS (LEUCINE & ARGININE
DURING LATE GESTATION, WHEREAS
THREONINE DURING EARLY GESTATION)
 INCREASE DIETARY FAT OF SOW DURING LATE
GESTATION & EARLY LACTATION TO
INCREASE FAT CONTENT OF COLOSTRUM,
INCREASE SURVIVAL OF LOW BW PIGLETS
 FEED HIGH FIBER DIETS TO PREGNANT SOWS
HELPS IN FASTER GROWTH OF BORN PIGLETS

38. “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE”
HENCE,
 MAINTAINING A GOOD BIOSECURITY MINIMIZE
DISEASE INCIDENCE
 PROPER ATTENTION
 PROPER HYGIENE
 PROVIDING THERMAL COMFORT TO IMPROVE FEED
INTAKE BY BOTH SOW AND PIGLET
 NUTRITIONAL MANAGEMENT & OBSERVING
BEHAVIOR TRAITS
 FOLLOWING PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES
ACCORDINGLY COULD DEFINITELY HELP OVERCOME
PROBLEM OF PREWEANING MORTALITY.
CONCLUSION