title: High-fiber diets in pregnant sows: digestive utilization and effects on the behavior of the animals.
abstract: Twelve pregnant, multiparous sows were assigned during gestation to three dietary treatments in a 3 x 3 Latin square design to evaluate the effect of increasing levels of crude fiber (CF): a conventional diet low in CF (L, 15.8 MJ DE/kg of DM, 3.3% CF), a diet with a medium level of CF (M, 14.4 MJ DE/kg of DM, 10.6% CF), and a high-fiber diet (H, 12.9 MJ DE/kg of DM, 18.1% CF). The daily feed supply was adjusted to provide the same 33.4 MJ of daily digestible energy (2.4, 2.7, and 3.0 kg/d for diets L, M, and H, respectively). Over the day, a shorter time standing was spent when sows received the H diet (291 min/d) compared with the L (363 min/d) and M diets (324 min/d). Duration of feeding was longer with the high-fiber diet. Mastication represented the main part of the feeding activity in sows fed the H diet (56%) and was reduced with the M and L diets (40% and 25%, respectively). Feeding rate increased when fiber level decreased (67, 120, and 152 g/min for the H, M, and L diets, respectively). Feeding the fibrous diet reduced the incidence of nonfeeding oral behaviors. These results show that high-fiber diets can reduce apparent feeding motivation of pregnant sows and, thus, improve the welfare of sows subjected to feed restriction.
authors.affiliation: I.N.R.A., Station de Recherches Porcines, Saint-Gilles, France.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ramonet
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Meunier-Salaün
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Dourmad
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004063:Digestion; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D011187:Posture; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*