Nutrition of sows and boars

This book aims to provide up-to-date information for all stages of the breeding life of sows and boars, to review published data and to make recommendations on the nutritional requirements and responses of breeding and sows and boars. It also provides information which allows feeding strategies to be devised to meet the needs of the sow in all situations, and permits development of a model to predict responses to nutrients. An attempt has also been made to provide practical guideline and indices of reproduction commensurate with good performance, health and welfare. It will be an invaluable source of reference for students, research scientists, veterinarians and all those engaged in practical pig production.

Introduction. Responses and requirements. Energy. Protein. Interactions. Minerals. Vitamins. Water supply. Fat supplementation. Fibre. The nutrition of the pre-breeding gilt. Predicting responses to energy and nitrogen intake. Appetite of sows. Body composition of the breeding sow. Development of feeding strategies. Nutrition of the boar. Conclusions and summary.

The central role of nutrition in the reproduction of farm animals has long been recognized. In the last two decades there have been considerable advances in the knowledge of sow and boar nutrition which has allowed the development of effective feeding strategies. However, the concepts involved are not without controversy and consequently a TCORN committee was formed to rationalize the information available. The authors have used the report of that committee as the basis of this volume.