Evaporative snout cooling system on the performance of lactating sows and their litters in a subtropical region

• Main Authors: Jonas Perin, Thais Schwarz Gaggini, Samuel Manica, Diogo Magnabosco, Mari Lourdes Bernardi, Ivo Wentz, Fernando Pandolfo Bortolozzo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria 2015-01-01
• Series: Ciência Rural
• Subjects: estresse pelo calor; leitão; peso; sistema de resfriamento adiabático evaporativo; controle de temperatura; consumo voluntário de ração
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0103-84782015005041693&lng=en&tlng=en

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of different temperature control systems on the voluntary feed intake (VFI), percentage of weight loss (PWL) and performance of lactating sows as well as on the weight of their piglets. Two systems were used: traditional temperature control system (TTCS) with curtain management and an evaporative snout cooling system (ESCS). The study was performed during the summer of 2011. After farrowing and at the weaning, 241 sows were weighed to evaluate the PWL during lactation. TTCS sows lost more weight (5.3±0.9%; P<0.05) than ESCS sows (2.2±0.9%). VFI was measured at intervals of four days in 32 primiparous and 39 multiparous sows. ESCS sows had higher VFI (5.8±0.2kg day-1; P<0.05) than TTCS sows (4.8±0.2kg day-1). Primiparous sows (4.4±0.2kg day-1) had a lower VFI than multiparous sows (6.3±0.2kg day-1, P<0.05) regardless of the temperature control system. Primiparous sows in the TTCS (10.9±1.3 days) had a longer weaning-to-oestrus interval than primiparous sows in the ESCS (7.0±1.2 days, P<0.05). Subsequent litter size tended to be higher (P=0.095) in ESCS than in TTCS (12.0±0.5 and 10.9±0.6 piglets born, respectively). Litters housed in ESCS were heavier (65.3±1.4kg; P<0.05) at weaning than litters in TTCS (60.7±1.4kg). The results suggest that in general sows and piglets housed in the ESCS have better performance than sows and piglets housed in TTCS.