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Four primiparous and eighteen multiparous lactating sows were used in the present trial. Animals were housed in individual farrowing crates. After farrowing, sows were provided increasing amounts of normal commercial sow diet until at 5 days post-farrowing sows were consuming feed to appetite. At 1 week post-farrowing all sows were fed the experimental control diet with 50% of sorghum inclusion to acclimatize sows to a sorghum based diet and minimize the effects on feed intake. Two experimental treatments were prepared: a control diet was prepared by using 50% of sorghum without of any ergot infection, therefore a test diet was prepared by incorporating a 50% of contaminated sorghum (with about 3% of ergot sclerotia contaminated sorghum). At 14 days post-farrowing, sows were randomly distributed to either the control or the ergot-diet, but considering to ensure even parity distribution across both treatment groups. Blood samples of each sow were collected on days 14, 21 and 28 post-farrowing and piglets were weighed at the same dates. The total litter consumption of feed was also recorded. Additionally subsequent reproductive performance data was also recorded.
Ergot-fed sows showed lower reduction of weight during lactation than those fed the control diet (P<0.05) despite feed consumption was higher in sows fed the control diet (P<0.05). However, ergot-fed sows showed poorer weight gain of litters over the 14-day period and higher creep-feed consumption from their litters than litters from sows fed the control diet (P<0.05). Sow plasmatic prolactin levels was reduced with ergot feeding after 7 days and at weaning compared to the animals fed the control diet (P<0.01).
It is concluded that feeding ergot contaminated cereals reduce milk production and litter performance in sows.
JS Kopinski, BJ Blaney, SA Murray and JA Downing (2008), Journal of Applied Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 92:554-561.
