Effect of Sow Lactation Crate Size on Litter Performance and Survivability

A study was conducted on a commercial sow farm in southern Minnesota, where 528 litters of pigs (PIC TR4 × (Fast LW × PIC L02)) were used to determine the effects of sow lactation crate size on litter performance and survivability. Farrowing crate length was maintained at 2.26 m, but width was adjusted to allow for treatments of 1.46, 1.65, and 1.83 m. To create the desired farrowing crate dimensions, divider panels were adjusted accordingly, taking space away from one sow’s crate to give it to another. This allowed for blocks of 3 crates, where each treatment was represented. Sows were loaded into individual lactation crates at random, balancing for parity across treatments. Cross fostering occurred within 24 h of farrowing prior to obtaining litter weight in effort to equalize litter size across treatments (minimum of 6 pigs per litter). Data were analyzed using generalized mixed models where treatment was a fixed effect and block was a random effect. Born alive, piglets weaned, and pre-weaning mortality were all fitted using a binomial distribution. Regardless of treatment, there was no evidence of differences in total piglets born, percentage piglets born alive, litter birth weight, litter weaning weight, or litter ADG. In addition, no evidence for differences were observed in the percentage piglets weaned or pre-weaning mortality. In conclusion, increasing lactation crate size did not impact litter performance or pig survivability in this study.

	Sow lactation crate size, m
Item	2.26 × 1.46	2.26 × 1.65	2.26 × 1.83	SEM	Probability, P <
Total piglets born, n	14.7	14.1	14.2	0.253	0.154
Born alive, %	91.5	93.1	92.2	0.593	0.103
Litter size after equalization, n	13.3	13.2	13.1	0.082	0.786
Litter birth weight, kg	18.2	18.1	18.1	0.268	0.941
Litter weaning weight, kg	65.6	67.4	65.7	1.242	0.466
Litter ADG, kg	2.40	2.48	2.41	0.045	0.326
Piglets weaned, %	79.2	79.0	77.4	1.046	0.288
Pre-weaning mortality, %	18.4	18.9	20.1	0.969	0.322
Lactation length, d	19.6	19.6	19.5	0.239	0.919