Effect of sow feed intake on litter growth and sow body weight change from farrowing to weaning.

Authors

Mikayla S Spinler, Jason C Woodworth, Mike D Tokach, Robert D Goodband, Joel M DeRouchey, Katelyn N Gaffield, Jordan T Gebhardt

Published in

Translational animal science. Volume 10. Pages txag140. Epub Sep 16, 2026.

Abstract

A retrospective analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between lactation average daily feed intake (ADFI) and litter average daily gain (ADG) and sow body weight (BW) change over lactation. Data from 991 gilts and 3393 multiparous sows across eight studies were used. Gilts and multiparous sow ADFI were categorized into quintiles, and linear and quadratic orthogonal polynomial contrasts were tested to determine the relationship between lactation ADFI and sow and litter performance. Gilts lost less weight (quadratic, P < 0.05) from farrow to weaning as lactation feed intake increased with the largest change in BW loss occurring between gilts with an ADFI of ≤ 5.30 and between 5.30 and 5.90 kg/d. In multiparous sows, BW change from farrow to weaning shifted from weight loss to gain (linear, P < 0.05) with increasing ADFI. Gilts had greater body weight loss during lactation compared to multiparous sows, with over half of the multiparous sows in the analysis gaining body weight. In both gilts and multiparous sows, increasing ADFI increased (linear; P < 0.05) litter ADG as well as litter size at weaning. Regression equations were developed to predict litter ADG and sow BW change for gilts and multiparous sows over lactation using backward stepwise regression. Lactation ADFI and litter ADG accounted for over half of the variation in maternal BW change over lactation, and litter size at weaning accounted for over half of the variation in litter ADG. Regression equations indicate that a one kg increase in ADFI increased litter ADG by 107 and 60 g and decreased BW loss by 4.74 and 5.19 kg for gilts and multiparous sows, respectively, when all other variables are held constant. At similar ADFI levels, multiparous sows may lose, maintain, or gain body weight during lactation. Sows that have both high feed intake and lose BW during lactation have greater litter ADG compared to sows with similar feed intake that gain BW during lactation. The analysis indicates that while increased feed intake during lactation improves both litter growth and reduces sow BW change, ADFI does not fully explain the variation in performance. The analysis indicates that over half of the multiparous sows gain BW from farrow to weaning, while over 80% of gilts lose BW. For both gilts and multiparous sows, gilts and sows with similar ADFI that lose BW over lactation have greater litter ADG compared to those that gain BW during lactation.

PMID:
42894738
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Oct 2026.

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