Feeding reproducing swine and neonatal pigs

This chapter provides requirements for nutrient composition of diets fed to reproducing swine. Feed mixing errors, nutrient variability of natural feedstuffs, antinutritional factors present in feed ingredients, undetected environmental or disease challenges could change nutrient requirements of pigs. Nutrient requirements for gestating sows can be broken down into three basic components: maintenance, fetal growth, and maternal weight gain. Amino acids other than arginine have received some attention as possible modulators of piglet development in utero and subsequent piglet performance. Feeding management right before and after farrowing is focused on transitioning the sow from limited feed intake of late gestation to ad libitum consumption during lactation. Nutrition during lactation clearly influences subsequent reproductive performance. The primary source of nutrition for neonatal pigs is milk provided by the sow. However, a supplemental source of nutrition can be offered in the form of solid feed commonly called creep feed.