Can we modify colostrum production and quality through sow feeding?

By Ana Garcia Alvarado (Technical Manager Spain)

Newborn piglets are born with minimal energy reserves that are insufficient to meet their needs, so they require an exogenous supply to maintain their body temperature and physical activity.

Colostrum is a source of nutrients, mainly energy and proteins, primarily casein and immunoglobulins (Ig), as well as growth factors (e.g., epidermal growth factor, which accelerates intestinal growth). The Ig in colostrum and bioactive proteins help piglets defend themselves against disease (Quesnel et al., 2012).

Therefore, insufficient intake will result in a high mortality rate among piglets before weaning and will affect the development (even at the reproductive level) and health status of those that survive.

Immunoglobulins in colostrum

Colostrum is a source of Ig, with IgG accounting for 81% of the Ig present in colostrum. 100% of IgG, 40% of IgA, and 85% of IgM present in colostrum are derived from the sow’s serum. The piglet absorbs Ig in the intestine within the first 24-36 hours, and these play an important role in systemic immunity, since there is a correlation between the level of IgG in colostrum, in the piglet at 24 hours, and in the piglet at weaning. In order to ensure good vitality and viability of piglets, a minimum consumption of colostrum is recommended.

Average recommendations are around 200 g/piglet (Devillers et al. 2011; Quesnel et al. 2012; Ferrari et al. 2014). Ferrari et al. 2014 recommend 250 g/piglet for piglets with low birth weight. Nuntapaitoon et al. 2019 recommend an intake of between 200–400 g of colostrum to reduce mortality.

Therefore, it is crucial that the sow produces sufficient colostrum with a high Ig content. Factors that determine colostrum production include:

• Environmental factors, such as heat stress, have a negative impact on colostrum quality (Farmer et al. 2009).
• Number of births. The colostrum of primiparous sows has a higher concentration of dry matter, fat, lactose, and non-fat solids than that of multiparous mothers. From the point of view of the immune system: according to Segura et al. 2020, there is no effect on Ig levels based on the number of births. Nuntapaitoon et al. 2020 point to higher colostrum production in second to fourth parity sows in comparison to primiparous or sows with 5 or more parities.
• Total number of piglets born. In studies conducted by Devillers et al. 2007, no differences were found in colostrum production in relation to the total number of piglets born in the litter.
• Stillbirths. More stillbirths resulted in less colostrum (Quesnel et al. 2011).
• Duration of farrowing. Longer farrowing resulted in lower colostrum production (Quesnel et al. 2011).
• Induction of labor. The use of prostaglandins to induce labor reduces colostrum production if performed too early in gestation.
• Endocrine status of the sow (Farmer et al. 2009). In a study conducted by Foisnet et al. 2010, they found that sows producing low levels of colostrum had high concentrations of progesterone in the 20 hours before farrowing and tended (P < 0.1) to have lower prolactin levels 40 and 30 hours before farrowing compared to sows that had high levels of Ig in colostrum.
• Teat location. Thoracic teats secrete more colostrum than abdominal teats, and the IgG and IgA content is higher (Ogawa et al. 2014).
• Genetics. In the study conducted by Amatucci et al. (2022), they compared the Ig content in colostrum in three different breeds: Duroc (D), Landrace (L), and Large White (LW).

• Feed intake before farrowing. When sows were fed ad libitum 2-3 days before farrowing, live weight and body condition during lactation improved, as did weaning weight. Feeding feed in several meals versus a single meal during the prepartum period improved piglet weight at weaning (Gourley et al. 2020). Feeding feed in doses three times higher and distributed in three meals during the last week of gestation results in higher colostrum production (Decaluwé 2014).
• Source of fiber during gestation. Feeding diets with a higher content of certain types of fiber (e.g., sugar beet pulp) is also beneficial in reducing the risk of constipation and providing a more consistent supply of energy after meals, thus helping to shorten the farrowing process. The study conducted by Feyera et al. 2021 recommends not using palm kernel expeller as it has a negative impact on the development of parturition, colostrum production, and nutrient digestibility, compared to other sources such as beet pulp, soybean hulls, or a mixture of various fiber sources.
• Fat in the diet. Some studies show that including 3% soybean oil in the gestation diet during the three weeks prior to farrowing increases the fat content of colostrum and Ig levels in the plasma of sows and piglets compared to other fat sources such as coconut or palm oil (Bai et al. 2017). According to Gormley et al. 2024, functional fats such as CLA and linoleic acid can improve piglet vitality by providing more digestible energy sources and having functional anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties.

Specific nutritional strategies

Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) have a recognized antibacterial function, and although less well documented, recent studies suggest that fatty acids also act as signaling molecules through specific subsets of G protein-coupled receptors (GPRs).

Some of these receptors belong to the family of free fatty acid receptors and have variable selectivity, while some are activated by all MCFAs and others, such as GPR84, are activated by MCFAs C9 to C12. GPRs are expressed in various cell types, including epithelial and immune cells. MCFA provided in food will interact not only with GPRs in enterocytes but also with those in neutrophils.

Recent studies in pigs confirmed that MCFA administration to pigs was effective in increasing neutrophil viability (De Vos et al. 2021).

Practical use of MCFA to improve colostrum quality

In various experiments conducted with a specific mixture of MCFA, it was found that incorporating these into the feed of pregnant and lactating sows had a positive impact on colostrum quality. One kilogram of C-vita was added to the sows’ feed, and the immunocrit level (high correlation between immunocrit and IgG level) was measured in both colostrum and piglet blood.

Increases in immunocrit levels of 60% were observed in sow colostrum and in piglet blood of more than 20%.

In other trials, adding 2 kg of C-vita to the feed of pregnant and lactating sows resulted in an overall improvement in the health of piglets through:

• A 25% reduction in mortality in suckling piglets (p<0.01).
• A 70% reduction in mortality in transition piglets (p<0.0001).
• A 67% reduction in the percentage of low-weight piglets at weaning (<3kg BW) (p<0.0001).
• Reduction in the percentage of low viability piglets at weaning by 77% (p<0.0001).
• Increase in average weaning weight by 0.54 kg per piglet (p<0.0001) despite a reduction in weaning
  age by 1.8 days.
• Reduction in water-based and injectable medications during transition.

Improving the quality and quantity of colostrum produced by the sow is essential to achieve a high weaning rate with good immune status. C-vita has demonstrated its ability to improve colostrum quality, resulting in lower mortality and greater viability of piglets and better production rates.