Effect of Different Cross-Fostering Strategies on Growth Performance, Stress Status and Immunoglobulin of Piglets

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 499
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiaojun, Wang, Meizhi, He, Tengfei, Long, Shenfei, Guo, Yao, Chen, Zhaohui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14.02.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Animal welfare; Birth weight; cross-fostering; Experiments; growth performance; Hogs; Hormones; immunoglobulin; Immunoglobulins; Low birth weight; Milk production; Mortality; Physical growth; piglets; Stress; stress status; Suckling behavior; Swine; Teats; Weaning; China; stress status; growth performance; piglets; cross-fostering; immunoglobulin
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani11020499

The effect of different cross-fostering strategies on the growth performance, stress and immunity of piglets was investigated in this study. In the first experiment, a total of 20 litters (i.e., 20 sows) and 120 piglets were classified into one of six treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement. The treatments consisted of piglets without or with cross-fostering and different birth weights (low birth weight, LBW; intermediate birth weight, IBW; high birth weight, HBW). The weaning weight (WW) and average daily gain (ADG) of LBW piglets and IBW piglets were not significantly different between the not cross-fostered (NC-F) group and the cross-fostered (C-F) group. There was a higher ( < 0.05) ADG in the control piglets compared with the cross-fostered piglets. This effect on ADG was only seen in the HBW piglets. In the second experiment, six sows with a similar body condition and farrowed on the same day were selected. Three female piglets with a birth weight of 0.6-0.85 kg were selected from each litter as experimental piglets. Eighteen piglets were grouped into three treatments: (1) not cross-fostered (NC-F1), (2) cross-fostered at 36-48 h after birth (C-F1), (3) cross-fostered at day 7 after birth (C-F2). The growth performance of NC-F1 and C-F1 piglets was higher than C-F2 piglets ( < 0.05), and the suckling positions of NC-F1 and C-F1 piglets on days 8, 12, 16 and 20 were more forward than the C-F2 piglets ( < 0.05). Plasma cortisol (COR) concentrations of NC-F1 and C-F1 piglets were lower than C-F2 piglets ( < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was observed between BW at day 21 and plasma COR concentration. In conclusion, cross-fostering within 24 h of birth has adverse influences on the ADG of HBW piglets, while it has no negative effect on the ADG of LBW and IBW piglets. Moreover, for IBW piglets, late cross-fostering (i.e., on day 7 after farrowing) has negative impacts on the growth performance and teat order of piglets, and it increases the cortisol level of piglets.