Dietary supplementation of laminarin improved the reproductive performance of sows and the growth of suckling piglets
In summary, the addition of laminarin to the diet during late pregnancy and lactation increased the number of live piglets at delivery and the ADFI of sows during lactation, increased the ADG of piglets and reduced the death and culling rate of piglets. The addition of laminarin not only improved the reproductive performance of sows, but also increased the immunoglobulin content in colostrum and the content of C10:0, C14:0, C16:1, C20:5n3 in milk, thus promoting the healthy growth of piglets. The addition of laminarin to the diet improved the immune function of sows and reduced the inflammatory response of sows. Although the diversity of fecal microbiota did not change significantly, laminarin could maintain the healthy reproductive performance and immune function of sows by adjusting the composition of fecal microbiota. Our study suggests that the effective supplemental level of laminarin in sow diets during late pregnancy and lactation is 0.10 %.