Effect of Hydroponic Green Forage Supplementation during Prepartum and Lactation on Sow and Litter Performances

Abstract

The incorporation of fibre in the diet of pregnant sows improves the performance dur-ing pregnancy and increases voluntary consumption during lactation. Hydroponic green forage (HGF) constitutes a method of cultivation without soil in controlled environmental conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the supplementation with HGF in lactating sows on productiveperformance and to investigate the metabolic state through the analysis of different biochemical parameters. Twelve sows of the Porcine Productive Unit of the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences were randomly assigned to 2 feeding groups: control (conventional diet) or HGF (hydroponic green forage diet, conventional diet supplemented with HGF) from 7 days prepartum until day 28 postpartum. Productive parameters in sows (weaning-to-oestrus interval and back fat thickness) and in the litter (number of piglets born and weaned, and piglet weight) were evaluated. The effect of the diet in the metabolism of the sows was evaluated by biochemical parameters (total plasma proteins, albumin, glucose, urea and creatinine). Supplementation with HGF did not significantly affect the litter size nor productive parameters but produced a higher weight of piglets at day 60. Although lactation affected some biochemical parameters, no substantial negative consequences of the HGF supplemented diet were observed. Our results suggest that the use of HGF could be an option to take into account in porcine production with economic and environmental benefits.