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A total of 2118 sows were used in the present trial. The animals were distributed to one of three experimental treatments: control group, group supplemented with 25 mg L-carnitine/kg diet or group supplemented with 50 mg L-carnitine/kg diet. Animals were kept in individual crates for 21 days after insemination and therefore were allocated in groups of about 100 sows until day 110 of gestation. At the end of gestation phase (110) sows were moved to the farrowing pens for a lactation period of 22 days. The number of pregnant sows, total number of piglets born, born alive, stillborn and mummified was recorded. Litter weights and piglet weight at birth and on day 21 were also recorded.
Fertility of the animals was around 75-79% during the whole trial. The animals fed the diets supplemented of 25 or 50 mg L-carnitine/kg showed more piglets born alive than the control diet (11.07 or 11.18 vs 10.60; P<0.05) and those animals fed 25 mg L-carnitine/kg of feed showed fewer stillborn or mummified than control group (0.68 vs 0.87; P<0.01). Litter weight (16.39 or 16.78kg vs 15.07; P<0.001) and individual weight (1.48 or 1.51kg vs 1.40; P<0.001) at birth and after 21 of lactation (litter weight (53.4 or 55.7kg vs 47.5; P<0.001) and individual weight (5.72 or 5.98kg vs 5.33; P<0.001)) were also higher in those animals fed the supplemented diets 25 and 50 mg/ kg diet, respectively. Sows fed with a supplementation of 50 mg L-carnitine/kg diet had higher (P<0.001) piglet and litter weights on day 21 than sows supplemented with 25 mg L-carnitine/kg. The positive effect of L-carnitine supplementation was strongly observed in sows of parities 1 and 2.
It is concluded that the supplementation of sows diets with L-carnitine during pregnancy and lactation, improve sow reproductive traits, the number of piglets born alive and litter weight.
A Ramanau, H Kluge, J Spilke, K Eder. 2007, Livestock Science. Vol. 113; 34-42.
