0
Lameness in breeding sows poses significant economic, welfare, and health challenges and often leads to premature culling. The structural integrity of legs depends on calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) reserves in bones, making proper nutrition essential for bone development and maintenance. This study assessed the effects of dietary Ca and vitamin D supplementation on bone metabolism, bone quality, lameness, and selection rates in gilts.
Methods: Two Ca levels (Adequate [ACa]: 6.85/6.42 g/kg or High [HCa]: 8.99/8.56 g/kg for gilts weighing 32–100 and 100–180 kg, respectively) were combined with either 856 IU/kg vitamin D3 (Adequate [AD3]) or 50 µg/kg 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (High [HHyD]) to create four diets: ACaAD3, HCaAD3, ACaHHyD, and HCaHHyD. A fifth diet, HCaHD3, combined high Ca with 2,000 IU/kg vitamin D3. Two hundred gilts were phase-fed these treatments from 32 to 180 kg body weight (BW) until slaughter.
Results: Growth performance was unaffected by diet, and while Ca plasma levels remained stable, urinary Ca concentrations were higher in gilts receiving high Ca. Plasma vitamin D3 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels responded positively to increased supplementation. Bone ash content was higher in gilts fed HCaAD3 and slaughtered at 100 kg, but other bone parameters such as weight, length, and mineral content showed no significant differences. Lameness and selection rates were not influenced by dietary treatments.
Conclusion: Growth rate positively correlates with bone strength and ash content, but higher Ca and vitamin D3 supplementation did not significantly affect lameness prevention or selection rates compared to standard feeding practices.
Bruun TS, Jensen SK, Larsen T, Nielsen MBF, Roger L, Feyera T. Effect of dietary calcium and vitamin D supplements on plasma bone turnover biomarkers, bone mineralization, bone strength, and lameness score in gilts. J Anim Sci. 2024 Jan 3;102:skae310. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae310
