Rye for Sows

Effects of including hybrid rye in diets for gestating and lactating sows

1. Sorensen and J. Krogsdahl

SEGES Swine Production, Copenhagen, Denmark

The objective was to determine effects of including hybrid rye in diets for gestating and lactating sows. Sows were fed either control diets based on barley, wheat, and soybean meal or treatment diets containing 60% rye in gestation and 35% rye in lactation. The study was conducted on 2 commercial farms. Electronic sow feeding (Farm A) and floor feeding (Farm B) were used in gestation. Diets were provided according to body condition during gestation and during lactation, sows were allowed to consume their respective diets on a semi ad libitum basis. On Farm A, 1,455 and 1,477 control and treatment sows, respectively, were bred and 1,376 and 1,398 sows farrowed. On Farm B, 1,361 and 1,310 control and treatment sows, respectively, were bred, and 1,309 and 1,239 sows farrowed. However, only 232 control sows and 233 treatment sows from Farm A and 195 control and 185 treatment sows from Farm B were followed through lactation. Data were analyzed using Proc Mixed with the exception that data for farrowing rate were analyzed using the Proc Glimmix procedure in SAS. Results indicated that litter size and farrowing rate were not affected by feeding of rye (Table 1). Back fat thickness at farrowing was also not different (17.1 and 16.6 mm on Farm A and 15.1 and 16.1 mm on farm B for control sows and treatment sows, respectively). Milk yield was not affected by treatment and there were no differences in litter weight gain or litter weaning weights between control and treatment sows. Over the 24 months study period, the number of culled sows were not affected by treatment. In conclusion, addition of 60% hybrid rye to diets fed to gestating sows and 35% hybrid rye in diets fed to lactating sows results in sow and litter performance that is not different from that of sows fed diets without hybrid rye. Future research is needed to determine if greater inclusion rates of hybrid rye may be used.

Table 1. Farrowing performance of sows¹

	Farm A				Farm B
Group	Control	Treatment	P value			Control	Treatment	P value
Farrowing rate, %	92.2	91.8	0.70			92.5	91.9	0.63
Total born per litter	17.89	17.89	0.95			19.08	19.03	0.75
Litter weaning weight, kg	85.6	84.9	0.46			98.3	98.6	0.76
Litter weight gain, kg.	66.0	66.0	0.99			78.9	79.5	0.65

¹A total of 2,774 sows farrowed on farm A and 2,548 sows farrowed on farm B.