Effect of Increasing Dietary Aminoacid Concentration in Late Gestation on Body Condition and Reproductive Performance of Hyperprolific Sows

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Nutrition during gestation is relevant for the success of reproductive sows and the late pregnancy is an especially critical period. Currently, the usual feeding management includes only one diet supplied at different levels through pregnancy and it could not be enough. Additionally, modern sows are producing large litters; their requirements are probably higher than those of commercial sows and they have to be met. With the current study, it can be concluded that a high level of amino acids in the diet provided approximately during the last month of gestation (around 10 g of standardized ileal digestibility lysine/kg of feed, with the remaining essential AA following the ideal protein concept) could be a strategy to improve the sow body condition and the reproductive performances. ABSTRACT: A total of 62 highly prolific Danbred sows was used to evaluate the implications of increasing dietary amino acid (AA) concentration during late gestation (from day 77 to 107 of pregnancy) on body condition and reproductive performances. Sows were assigned to one of the two treatments (n = 31, with similar number of sows in the second-, third- and fourth-cycle); control diet (containing 6 g of standardized ileal digestible lysine -SID Lys-)/kg) and high AA level (containing 10 g SID Lys/kg and following the ideal protein concept for the remaining essential AA). On day 108 of pregnancy, animals were moved to the farrowing-lactating facilities where they spent until weaning receiving a common standard lactation diet. After farrowing, litters were standardized to 13 piglets each. At 107 d of gestation, backfat depth was thicker in sows fed high AA concentration than in those fed control diet (p < 0.0001) but these significant differences disappeared at weaning (p > 0.05). Additionally, at farrowing, the litter size (p = 0.043) and weight (p = 0.017) were higher in sows fed high AA level. It can be concluded that the increase in the AA content in the feed during the last month of gestation could improve the body condition of the sows and their performance results.