Investigating the effects of jute nesting material and enriched piglet mats on sow welfare and piglet survival

Authors: MARKLAND, LUCY - Purdue University; Johnson, Jay; RICHERT, BRIAN - Purdue University; ERASMUS, MARISA - Purdue University; LAY, DONALD - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)

Submitted to: Translational Animal Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/28/2023
Publication Date: 7/6/2023
Citation: Markland, L., Johnson, J.S., Richert, B.T., Erasmus, M.A., Lay, D.C. 2023. Investigating the effects of jute nesting material and enriched piglet mats on sow welfare and piglet survival. Translational Animal Science. https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txad076.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txad076

Interpretive Summary: Sows have a strong motivation to build a nest prior to farrowing. In the wild, this nest would provide shelter and protection from the elements to her piglets. However, current production methods do not allow for nesting material in swine facilities. This study provided sows with jute as a substitute for straw so that the sow could perform nesting behavior and it provided the piglets with a mat of cotton to help simulate a nest. The jute material resulted in improvements in sow and piglet welfare. Jute provided to sows in their crates alleviated sow stress around the time of birth, as shown by decreased stress hormones and decreased frustration behaviors. The combination of jute and piglet mats improved piglets’ growth up to day 7 of age, improved piglet immune response, and improved the ability of piglets to maintain their body temperature. Although, the jute only had a minor effect on piglet measures and did not result in a reduced birthing duration or increased piglet survival, it can be concluded that the presentation and type of material is at least somewhat beneficial for sows in crates at the time of giving birth.

Technical Abstract: Domesticated sows are highly motivated to perform nesting behavior prior to farrowing. However, due to the potential for clogging slurry systems, large amounts of nesting material are not practical to use in most production systems. Nesting material is also used to provide the piglets with protection from the cold. Therefore, the study objectives were to assess an alternative nesting material provided prior to farrowing on sow welfare and piglet survival, and to investigate the effect of the entire nesting environment on piglet survival and growth performance. We hypothesized that the provision of jute nesting material would decrease sow stress and decrease farrowing duration, and that the provision of piglet nesting mats would allow piglets to remain euthermic and improve survival and growth. Twenty sows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: farrowing crate with jute nesting material (Nest; n = 10; 3 pieces of jute, each 40.6 x 21.6 cm) and two enriched piglet mats made from an acrylic board (28.0 x 86.4 cm) covered with a microfiber material, or the farrowing crate without nesting material (Control; n = 10) and 1 standard plastic mat (28.0 x 86.4 cm) for piglets. Three jute pieces were attached to the front of the crate to prevent substrate from falling through the slatted floors. Saliva samples were collected, as a non-invasive way to measure cortisol and immunoglobulin A (IgA) to assess stress, on d -1, 0, 1, and 2 relative to farrowing, and a final sample was collected at weaning (d 16.9 ± 0.18). Piglet blood plasma was collected from 4 piglets/litter to measure immunoglobulin G (IgG) at 48 h, d 7, and weaning. Piglet skin temperature was measured from two piglets/litter using an infrared camera for 3 d after birth at 0800, 1200, 1600, and 2000 hr. One piglet was randomly chosen from each side of the crate (heat lamp side and non-heat lamp side) to measure skin temperature. Video was continuously coded for observations of jute-directed and crate-directed interactions. Data were analyzed as a mixed model analysis of variance in SAS 9.4. Nest sows performed less crate-directed behavior than Control sows (P = 0.02). Cortisol tended to be less in Nest sows (P = 0.08), but there was no difference in IgA concentrations (P > 0.40). Nest piglets tended to be heavier on d 7 (P < 0.10), had greater IgG concentrations (P = 0.03), and greater skin temperatures (P = 0.02). There were no differences in farrowing duration or number of stillbirths (P > 0.70). The jute material and piglet nests positively impacted sow welfare and piglet measures but did not translate into improved piglet survival.