Causes of preweaning mortality on a large intensive piggery

Causes of preweaning mortality were examined on a large intensive piggery. Diagnosis was made using comprehensive clinical histories combined with post-mortem data. Two thousand four hundred and twenty-six piglets were born in 238 litters. Pre-parturient and parturient losses were 2.9% and 5.4% of the total numbers of piglets born. Birth to weaning mortality was 11.3%. Among piglets born alive, overlaying was the most frequent cause of death (2.1%), followed by deaths due to diarrhoea (1.7%), anaemia (1.2%), savaging (1.1%) and losses of small weak piglets (0.9%). Most deaths, including stillbirths, were associated with below average birth weight, and two-thirds of all deaths of liveborn pigs occurred within 4 days of birth. Increased litter size resulted in decreased birth weights, an increased percentage of stillborn piglets and mummified foetuses, but duration of parturition was not affected. Stillborn piglets were born late in the litter and after a longer interval between pigs born (interpig interval). Over 70% of deaths due to overlay were in previously healthy piglets, but some were associated with illness of the sow (18%) or both sow and piglet (3%). Savaging was confined mainly to first parity sows and was responsible for 20% of all deaths in these litters. Sixty-two per cent of all piglets with a birth weight of less than 800g were stillborn or died before weaning compared with 18.7% mortality for all piglets. Anaemia in piglets was considered to be due to umbilical haemorrhage. Anaemic piglets had a 36% mortality to weaning compared with 10% for non-anaemic piglets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)