Supply of nesting material as an alternative to promote welfare and productive efficiency of hyperprolific gilts

• Grant number: 24/06623-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Cesar Augusto Pospissil Garbossa
• Grantee: Roberta Yukari Hoshino
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/20463-0 - ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT THAT STRESS AND SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATION DURING PARTURITION HAVE ON THE SOW'S WELFARE, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

The current tendency to use hyperprolific females in pig farming makes it necessary to adapt management to guarantee the well-being of both females and their litters, without compromising productivity. Farrowing is one of the most critical moments in pig production. It is the event that females are most stressed by, especially hyperprolific ones, as they have longer births, higher rates of neonatal asphyxia, limited colostrum production and high rates of stillbirth. The provision of material for building nests appears as a way of helping to promote the well-being of females during this event. The performance of natural behaviors, especially nesting behavior during the peripartum period, stimulates the secretion of hormones that are related to reducing the duration of parturition, increasing milk production and increasing the expression of maternal behavior. The objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of offering nesting material to nulliparous females. For this, 18 gilts housed in farrowing cages will be used. Females will be allocated into two experimental groups: gilts without access to any nesting material (Control; n=9) or gilts with access to 3 kg of nesting material (Nest; n=9). Nesting material will be provided approximately 12 hours before birth and from that moment on, all females will be supervised to evaluate their behavior, uninterruptedly until the birth of the last piglet. Immediately after birth, the vitality of the piglets will be assessed using a numerical score (APGAR), which is made up of five parameters (1. Respiratory latency; 2. Heart rate; 3. Muzzle skin color; 4. Latency to lift; 5. Meconium stains on the skin). Circulatory changes will be assessed by analyzing the integrity of the umbilical cord (normal; edematous; congested; hemorrhagic). Blood will be collected from piglets for blood gas analysis, in order to estimate the severity of the asphyxia suffered. Piglets born alive will be weighed at birth and 24 hours after the start of parturition to determine the piglet's weight gain, and thus estimate the colostrum consumption of each animal and the colostrum production of the female.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MONTEIRO, MATHEUS S.; MURO, BRUNO B. D.; NICOLINO, MARCOS V. B.; HOSHINO, ROBERTA Y.; MEZZINA, ANA L. B.; CARNEVALE, RAFAELLA F.; CARNINO, BRUNO B.; ALVES, LAYA K. S.; GOMES, NADIA A. C.; COSTA, LIDIANE C.; et al. Biopolymer-based nesting material for sows and its consequence on nest-building behavior, farrowing kinetics and piglet vitality. APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR SCIENCE, v. 284, p. 7-pg., 2025-03-25. (21/10847-7, 23/14196-6, 23/07203-6, 24/06623-4)