Page 16 of articles about nutrition in Articles

Some tips to reduce feed costs on pig farms.

We have long known that of all the species tested, piglets are born with the lowest circulating levels of 25(OH)D.

Vitamin D is normally produced following skin exposure to ultraviolet-B. Since most piglets (and humans too!) are raised in climate controlled housing and born year-round, direct access to sunshine is often limited, even in the summer. Fortunately, vitamin D can be added to diets to meet the animals' need for vitamin D.

Modern sows are able to produce over 70 weaned piglets during their productive live.

We should focus on actions that are in our hands to try to improve the profitability of our farms.

UTIs are among the most frequent bacterial infections in the herd but they are rarely diagnosed or taken into consideration by veterinarians.

Citric and Tartaric acids trigger an innate sour taste that is attractive to pigs while their pungency is smooth and remains unnoticed.

Production of pig meat worldwide exceeds that of any other meat. Traditionally, linear programming is used to generate minimum cost diets that to meet the pig nutrient requirements. Of greater importance to the pig producer than least cost diets is the maximisation of gross margin (per pig place or per pig place per year).

In addition to amino acid intake, proper energy intake is essential for maximizing milk production in sows. Both the amount of and type of energy can influence milk production.

Many sow farms have been increasing total born and weaning large litters with heavier pigs. With litter size continuing to improve and lactation length increasing to around 21 days, the demand for milk production must continue to increase to meet the increasing demand of heavier pigs.

The milk production of sows is one of the parameters that has evolved the most over the last several decades.

The taste system senses the nutritional value of foods through the taste buds defined as clusters of taste sensory cells present in the tongue

In recent years the field of sweet taste has experienced a sudden twist due to the presence of taste receptors not only in clusters in the oral cavity (taste buds) but also in non-taste tissues particularly in the mucosa of the GIT.

Sudden death due to HBS is a devastating, stealthy phenomenon that affects pigs in growth and finishing phases. The heaviest animals die, sometimes a few over several days, or a few per week, but in a constant succession that can last (up to nine months in Italy’s case, where heavier animals are killed).

It isn’t easy to compile a bibliography referring to this subject matter in specific cases; one has to search for it among the footnotes of other, more general works. The aim of this article is to sum up aspects of feeding that can be important at the time of farrowing.