Feeding Conjugated Linoleic Acid without a Combination of Medium-Chain Fatty Acids during Late Gestation and Lactation Improves Pre-Weaning Survival Rates of Gilt and Sow Progeny

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A number of feeding strategies have been used in attempts to improve performance of progeny born to primiparous sows, which are born lighter, grow slower, and have higher rates of mortality than progeny born to older sows. The current study examined whether feeding conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) or a commercial medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) product alone or in combination to primiparous and multiparous sows improved pre-weaning growth and survival of their progeny. Feeding CLA or MCFA failed to improve reproductive performance of primiparous or multiparous sows or the performance of their progeny during lactation, and there was no added benefit of feeding these products for gilt progeny. However, feeding CLA alone improved the survival of gilt and sow progeny. Further examination of the different inclusion levels and the timing of CLA feeding may be required in order for the use of this additive to be more efficacious. ABSTRACT: Feeding conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) or medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) to dams has been shown to improve progeny growth and survival, and hence may be particularly advantageous to gilt progeny. Primiparous (n = 129) and multiparous sows (n = 123; parities 3 and 4) were fed one of four diets from day 107 of gestation (107.3 ± 0.1 days) until weaning (day 27.2 ± 0.1 of lactation): (i) control diet; (ii) 0.5% CLA diet; (iii) 0.1% MCFA diet; and (iv) equal parts of (ii) and (iii). Progeny performance data were collected and, from a subset of sows (n = 78) and their piglets (n = 144), a colostrum (day 0), milk (day 21), and piglet serum sample (day 3) were analyzed for immunoglobulin G and several selected metabolites. Liveborn pre-weaning mortality tended to be lowest (p = 0.051) in piglets from sows fed 0.5% CLA. However, sows fed the CLA diet had more (p = 0.005) stillbirths than those on the other diets. There were few effects of diet or the dam parity x diet interaction (p ≥ 0.05) on other parameters. Overall, feeding CLA or MCFA did not improve the performance of primiparous sows, multiparous sows, or their progeny.