Effects of Dietary Fiber in Gestating Sows on Farrowing Kinetics, Sow Constipation, and Neonatal Piglet Vitality.

• Grant number: 25/03739-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Luciano Hauschild
• Grantee: Sara Julia Sardinha
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Brazil stands out among the world's leading pork producers. Over the past decades, advances in genetic selection, health management, nutrition, and animal welfare have driven the productivity and prolificacy of sows. However, alongside improvements in reproductive performance and an increased number of piglets born, new challenges have emerged, particularly concerning management and nutrition, which must be adapted to the physiological and metabolic needs of hyperprolific sows.This study aims to evaluate the effects of including fiber sources (insoluble or soluble) in the diet of gestating sows on constipation status, farrowing kinetics, piglet vitality at birth, colostrum quality, and litter performance during lactation. A total of 112 sows will be used in a randomized block design, considering body weight and parity order, and assigned to one of four dietary treatments (n = 28): a negative control diet based on corn and soybean meal; a diet supplemented with 2.0% of an insoluble fiber source based on lignocellulose; a diet supplemented with 4.0% of the same insoluble fiber source; and a diet containing 18% soybean hulls as a source of soluble fiber.Each sow will be considered an experimental unit and housed in collective pens (14 sows per pen) within their respective treatment groups until transfer to farrowing crates. The study will assess farrowing kinetics, piglet vitality, colostrum quality, litter performance, and postpartum constipation rate.