Effects of Pre‐Weaning Energy Substitutions on Post‐Weaning Follicle Development,Steroid Hormones and Subsequent Litter Size in Primiparous Sows

The present study investigated the effects of pre‐weaning energy substitutions on follicular development, endocrine characteristics and subsequent litter size in primiparous sows. Sows were fed a standard lactation diet (14.1 DE MJ/kg) and then allocated to a Control (C, n = 24), Fat (F, n = 23), Sugar (S, n = 23) or post‐weaning Regumate (positive control; R, n = 22) treatment at 9 days before weaning of the C, F and S treatments. During the treatment period (8 days), 1 kg of the lactation diet was substituted with 1 kg of a fat‐rich (F, 23.85 DE MJ/kg) or sugar‐rich (S, 15.75 DE MJ/kg) substitution for F and S sows, respectively. For the R treatment, sows were weaned 8 days earlier than other treatments and fed a lactation diet at 3.5 kg with two doses of altrenogest as topdressing from 1 day before weaning until the day on which the other sows were weaned. The F treatment aimed to increase energy intake, and the S treatment aimed to elevate post‐prandial glucose and insulin concentrations. Weaning‐to‐ovulation interval tended to be reduced in the S treatment compared with C (p = 0.06) and F (p = 0.08) treatments. Body weight (BW) loss during the treatment period, post‐weaning follicle development, plasma oestradiol and pre‐weaning leptin did not differ among C, F and S sows, although BW loss was lower and leptin was higher in the R treatment. Post‐ovulatory progesterone concentration in the S treatment was higher (p < 0.05). Sows in the S and R treatments had a greater proportion of litters with larger litter sizes (p < 0.05). The outcome suggests that increasing circulating insulin and glucose concentrations during late lactation or a week of metabolic recovery positively improves subsequent litter size in primiparous sows.