title: Premature farrowings caused by feeding cottonseed meal.
abstract: Increasing the level of cottonseed meal (CSM) in sow diets from less than 5% to 10% increased the incidence of premature farrowings (gestation length less than 111 days) from 1.1% to 2.7% (p less than 0.001) and reduced the mean gestation length from 114.07 +/- 1.53 to 113.70 +/- 1.59 days (p less than 0.0001). Survival of piglets born prematurely was poor. After removal of CSM from the diet there was a residual effect lasting several weeks before the gestation length returned to normal. Experimental feeding of diets containing 20% and 40% CSM to small groups of sows caused significant shortening of gestation length and 3 of 26 sows fed 40% CSM farrowed prematurely. The mechanism by which CSM causes this effect has yet to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Health, Camden, New South Wales.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D003369:Cottonseed Oil / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D003369:Cottonseed Oil