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The aim of the study was to investigate if dietary alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) supplementation may improve the performance of lactating sows and their suckling piglets. After farrowing, 24 lactating sows (Large White × Landrace) with similar body weight (BW) were assigned to the control and AKG groups based on parity, and their lactation diets were supplemented with 0.00 or 0.25% AKG, respectively. It was found that supplementing the diet of lactating sows with 0.25% AKG enhanced growth performance of the suckling piglets from d 7 to d 21 of the lactation period, improved villus height of ileum and tended ( p = 0.085) to increase mean volumetric bone mineral density of femur in the weanling piglets. In the lactating sows, dietary supplementation of AKG decreased plasma urea level on d 14 of lactation, decreased plasma calcium (Ca) concentrations from d 7 to d 21 of lactation and increased lactose and Ca levels in ordinary milk. Thus, it was proposed that AKG supplementation stimulates the capacity for lactose synthesis and Ca uptake in the mammary gland, thereby altering the composition of the ordinary milk which might be associated with the enhanced performance of piglets during the suckling period. These findings could lead to a better application of AKG in lactating nutrition, and therefore, promoting pork production.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the short-term effects of dietary selenium supplementation on lactating sows on the physiological response, litter performance, milk composition, and tissue selenium retention in piglets when selenium was provided by different sources and at different levels in a lactation diet. Methods: A total of 48 multiparous sows (Yorkshire×Landrace) with average body weight, backfat thickness, and parity were assigned to one of the four treatments with 12 sows per treatment using a 2×2 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design. Inorganic or organic Se sources were added to the diet at 0.30 ppm and 0.50 ppm Se. Treatments were as follows: i) IS30, basal diet + inorganic Se 0.30 ppm; ii) IS50, basal diet + inorganic Se 0.50 ppm; iii) OS30, basal diet + organic Se 0.30 ppm; and iv) OS50: basal diet + organic Se 0.50 ppm. Results: At Day 21 of lactation, a high tendency of litter weight (p = 0.08) and litter weight gain (p = 0.09) were observed when sows were fed an organic Se source. The milk Se concentration in the organic Se treatment was higher than that in the inorganic Se treatment at Day 21 of lactation (p<0.05). The serum Se concentrations of sows and piglets at Day 21 of lactation were significantly higher when lactating sows were fed organic Se instead of inorganic Se (p<0.01). During the suckling period, the kidney and muscle Se concentrations of piglets at Day 21 of lactation were significantly higher when the sow dietary Se source was organic (p<0.05). Liver Se concentrations were affected by Se source and level (p<0.05). This also resulted in an interaction response at 21 days of lactation (p<0.05). Conclusion: The supplementation of dietary organic Se in a lactating diet could improve sow feed consumption, piglet performance, milk Se level, and the Se status of sows and piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 600 sows (line 3; PIC, Hendersonville, TN) were used to evaluate the effect of different lactation feeder types and drip cooling on sow farrowing performance and litter growth performance during the summer. For the feeder evaluation, the trial was conducted in two sequential groups with 300 sows per group. Five 60-farrowing-stall rooms with tunnel ventilation were used for each group. On approximately days 110 to 112 of gestation, sows were blocked by body condition score (BCS), parity, and offspring sire (lines 2 or 3 sires; PIC), then randomly allotted to one of three feeder types: 1) PVC tube feeder, 2) Rotecna feeder (Rotecna), or 3) SowMax feeder (Hog Slat). The three feeder types were placed in one of three stalls with the same sequence from the front to the end of all rooms to balance for environmental effects. For drip cooling evaluation, the trial was conducted during the 2nd group of 300 sows. Drippers were blocked in three of every six farrowing stalls to balance feeder type and environmental effects. After farrowing, sows had ad libitum access to feed. For litter performance data, only pigs from sows bred to line 2 sires were recorded. Line 3 sire pigs were not included in litter performance data, but sows of these pigs were included in sow body weight (BW) and feed disappearance data. After weaning, feeder cleaning time was recorded on a subsample of 67 feeders (19, 23, and 25 for PVC tube, Rotecna, and SowMax, respectively). There was no evidence of difference (P > 0.05) in sow entry BW, exit BW, BW change, and litter performance among the different feeder types. However, sows using the SowMax feeders had decreased (P < 0.05) total feed disappearance, average daily feed disappearance, and total feed cost compared to those fed with the PVC tube feeders. There was a marginal difference (P < 0.10) between feeder types in cleaning time, with PVC tube feeders requiring less time than the Rotecna feeders; however, cleaning time varied greatly between the personnel doing the cleaning. Sows with drip cooling had greater (P < 0.05) feed disappearance, litter growth performance, and subsequent total born, and reduced (P < 0.05) BW change. In conclusion, using a SowMax feeder reduced feed disappearance with no effects on sow and litter performance compared to a PVC tube feeder, and drip cooling improved sow and litter performance during summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 105 sows (Line 241, DNA, Columbus, NE) were used across four batch farrowing groups to evaluate the effects of including a feed flavor (Krave AP, Adisseo, Alpharetta, GA) in lactation diets on sow and litter performance. Sow groups 1 and 2 farrowed in an old farrowing facility during the summer months with fans and drip coolers used to regulate the ambient temperature. Groups 3 and 4 farrowed in a new farrowing facility during the winter months and utilized fans and cool cells for environmental temperature control. Sows were blocked by BW within parity on d 110 of gestation and allotted to 1 of 2 dietary treatments, 55 sows on the control diet and 50 sows on the flavor diet. Dietary treatments were a standard cornsoybean-based lactation diet (control) or control diet with the addition of a feed flavor at 0.05% of the diet. Farrowing facility environment greatly impacted feed intake, with ADFI being greater (P < 0.001) in the new farrowing facility during the winter months compared with the old farrowing facility in the summer months (Table 1). Sows fed the flavor treatment had a tendency (P = 0.093) for greater ADFI overall compared with control fed sows across the entire experiment. Piglet BW from sows fed the flavor diet tended to be greater (P = 0.087) on d 10 and was greater (P = 0.039) at weaning compared with pigs from sows fed control diets. An interaction between flavor and farrowing facility was observed for pig ADG (P = 0.001), with pigs from sows fed the flavor diet in the old farrowing facility having a greater ADG compared with piglets from sows fed the control diet. The opposite was observed in the new farrowing facility. Litter ADG tended (P = 0.093) to be greater for pigs from sows fed the flavor diet. Preweaning mortality of piglets from sows fed a diet containing a feed flavor was greater from birth to d 2 (P = 0.038) and d 2 to weaning (P = 0.005) compared with piglets from sows fed the control diet. In conclusion, sows fed the flavor-containing diet tended to have greater overall ADFI and had greater piglet weaning weights. The differences in feed flavor response between season and environment suggests that adding a feed flavor to the lactation diet in situations where sow lactation ADFI is less than optimal could lead to improvements in sow and litter performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan oligosaccharide (COS), a natural compound derived from chitin, has growth promotion property. However, the nature of the relationship between maternal COS supplementation and offspring growth is not yet understood. Therefore, we intended to determine the effects of maternal COS supplementation in late gestation and lactation on the offspring growth performance. Twenty-four pregnant Yorkshire sows were distributed into two equal groups (n = 12) and fed either with a basal diet (control group) or a basal diet containing 100 mg/kg COS, from gestation day 85 until lactation day 21. Serum samples were collected from six sows of average body weight, from each group on farrowing day (lactation day 1) and lactation day 21, whereas colostrum and milk samples were respectively obtained on lactation days 1 and 21. We found that maternal COS supplementation significantly increased (p < .05) the average piglet weaning weight per litter. Supplementation of COS in the sow diet elevated (p < .05) the serum interleukin-10, immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgM concentrations, as well as total antioxidant capacity. Moreover, higher (p < .05) colostrum IgM and milk lactose contents were simultaneously observed in COS-treated sows compared to the control sows. In summary, COS supplementation during late gestation and lactation can boost antioxidant capacity and humoural immunity of sows, and contributes to improving colostrum and milk quality, ultimately, enhancing the offspring growth performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been suggested that gut microbiota play a critical role in maternal metabolic oxidative stress responses and offspring growth. However, whether the gut microbiota and oxidative stress status of the sows affect the litter performance during lactation is unclear. A total of 66 Yorkshire sows were identified as high (H) or low (L) litter performance sows based on litter weight at day 21 of lactation. Ten sows per group with similar parity, backfat thickness, and litter weight after cross-foster from the H or L group were collected randomly to analyze the oxidative stress and gut microbiota during lactation. The result showed that the serum total antioxidant capacity was higher in the H group, while 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were lower in the H group at farrowing. Four distinct clusters of bacteria were related to litter performance and reproductive periods of sows. Twelve differentially abundant taxa during gestation and 13 taxa during lactation were identified as potential biomarkers between the H group and the L group. Moreover, the litter performance and the antioxidant capacity of sows were positively correlated with Bacteroides_f__Bacteroidaceae but negatively with Phascolarctobacterium and Streptococcus. In conclusion, this study found that gut microbiota and oxidative stress were significantly correlated with the litter performance of sows during lactation.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of yeast cell wall polysaccharides(YCWP) on reproductive performance, serum profiles and milk composition during late gestation and lactation. A total of 96 sows(Landrace × Yorkshire) were blocked on a basis of breed, parity(2-3)and their respective d 85 of gestation, and then randomly allotted to the following three dietary treatments: CON(basal diet, treatment 1), YCWP1(CON+0.2% YCWP, treatment 2) and YCWP2(CON+0.4% YCWP, treatment 3). The experiment lasted from d 85 of gestation to weaning(d 21 of lactation). Sows fed YCWP diets had lower backfat thickness reduction from postpartum to weaning( P<0.05). The supplementation of YCWP tended to increase litter weight at weaning(P=0.08) compared with CON. The non-lipid and total milk solids in colostrum was improved by YCWP2(P<0.05).No differences were observed in milk composition among dietary treatments( P>0.05). The supplementation of YCWP decreased(P<0.05) the levels of alanine amino transferase(ALT), aspartate amino transferase(AST), while it did not affect( P>0.05) alkaline phosphatase(ALP), total protein(TP),albumin(ALB), globulin(GLB), glucose(GLU), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG) or immunoglobulin G(IgG) in the sow serum. The serum IgG of piglets was increased by the YCWP. The levels of serum ALT and AST were reduced(P<0.05) for suckling piglets in YCWP treatments. Taken together, the results of current studies might indicate beneficial effects of YCWP supplementation to late gestation and lactation diets on the sow productivity by improving litter weight at weaning, reducing backfat loss, and increasing serum IgG concentrations of piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The present study investigated the litter performance of multiparous sows fed 3% and 6% densified diets at farrowing to weaning during summer with mean maximum room temperature of 30.5°C. Methods: A total of 60 crossbred multiparous sows were allotted to one of three treatments based on body weight according to a completely randomized design. Three different nutrient levels based on NRC were applied as standard diet (ST; metabolizable energy, 3,300 kcal/kg), high nutrient level 1 (HE1; ST+3% higher energy and 16.59% protein) and high nutrient level 2 (HE2; ST+6% higher energy and 17.04% protein). Results: There was no variation in the body weight change. However, backfat thickness change tended to reduce in HE1 in comparison to ST treatment. Dietary treatments had no effects on feed intake, daily energy intake and weaning-to-estrus interval in lactating sows. Litter size, litter weight at weaning and average daily gain of piglets were significantly greater in sows in HE1 compared with ST, however, no difference was observed between HE2 and ST. Increasing the nutrient levels had no effects on the blood urea nitrogen, glucose, triglyceride and creatinine at post-farrowing and weaning time. The concentration of follicle stimulating hormone, cortisol and insulin were not affected by dietary treatments either in post-farrowing or weaning time. The concentration of blood luteinizing hormone of sows in ST treatment was numerically less than sows in HE2 treatment at weaning. Milk and colostrum compositions such as protein, fat and lactose were not affected by the treatments. Conclusion: An energy level of 3,400 kcal/kg (14.23 MJ/kg) with 166 g/kg crude protein is suggested as the optimal level of dietary nutrients for heat stressed lactating sows with significant beneficial effects on litter size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the feeding of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) in sow lactation diets. In Exp. 1, 168 multiparous sows (PIC, Camborough 22) were fed a 10% DDGS diet throughout gestation. Sows were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 corn-soybean meal lactation diets formulated to contain different levels of DDGS (0, 10, 20, and 30%, respectively). All diets were formulated to be isocaloric (3.46 Mcal ME/kg) and all other nutrients exceeded NRC (1998) nutrient recommendations. Sow ADFI was not different (P > 0.10) as DDGS level increased. Increasing DDGS resulted in a linear (P < 0.03) increase in sow weight gain (7.5, 11.3, 20.3, and 17.2 kg, respectively) and a reduction in wean-to-first-service interval (7.1, 5.2, 5.0, and 4.9 d, respectively). Increasing DDGS did not affect subsequent total born per litter (13.7, 12.8, 13.3, and 12.3, respectively; P > 0.10). In Exp. 2 and 3, lactation diets consisted of corn and 20, 30, 40, or 50% DDGS. Diets were formulated at 3.25 Mcal ME/kg, 1.05% standardized ileal digestible lysine, and all other nutrients to exceed NRC (1998) nutrient recommendations. In both experiments, sows (PIC, Camborough) were fed 40% DDGS in gestation and allocated to a randomized complete block based on the parity of the sow at the time of entry into the farrowing house. In Exp. 2, 256 gilts and multiparous sows were fed the randomly assigned diets. As DDGS inclusion increased, sow feed intake (6.2, 6.2, 6.0, and 5.9 kg/d, respectively) and sow weight gain (10.5, 10.3, 8.2, and 6.2 kg, respectively) tended to linearly decrease (P < 0.06). Sow wean to estrus differed between 20 and 30% DDGS inclusion (4.9 vs. 6.9 d; P < 0.01). Litter gain was not different (2.55, 2.53, 2.51, and 2.59 kg/d, respectively; P > 0.10) as DDGS inclusion increased. In Exp. 3, 98 multiparous sows were randomly allotted to 1 of the 4 experimental diets during the summer months. Sow feed intake, sow weight gain, and litter gain were not different (P > 0.10) between treatments. The data suggest that feeding high levels of DDGS of 40 to 50% may reduce sow feed intake and litter performance. These results demonstrate that feeding up to 30% DDGS in lactation diets can be done without adversely influencing sow or litter performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was conducted to determine the optimal standardized ileal digestible lysine ( SID Lys) level in diets fed to primiparous sows during lactation. A total of 150 (Landrace × Large White) crossbred gilts (weighing 211.1 ± 3.5 kg with a litter size of 11.1 ± 0.2) were fed lactation diets (3325 kcal metabolizable energy ( ME)/kg) containing SID Lys levels of 0.76, 0.84, 0.94, 1.04 or 1.14%, through 28 days lactation. Gilts were allocated to treatments based on their body weight and backfat thickness 48 h after farrowing. Gilt body weight loss was significantly ( P < 0.05) decreased by increasing dietary SID Lys levels. Fitted broken-line ( P < 0.05) and quadratic plot ( P < 0.05) analysis of body weight loss indicated that the optimal SID Lys for primiparous sows was 0.85 and 1.01%, respectively. Average daily feed intake ( ADFI), weaning-to-estrus interval and subsequent conception rate were not affected by dietary SID Lys levels. Increasing dietary lysine had no effect on litter performances. Protein content in milk was increased by dietary SID Lys ( P < 0.05). Dietary SID Lys tended to increase concentrations of serum insulin-like growth factor I ( P = 0.066). These results of this experiment indicate that the optimal dietary SID Lys for lactating gilts was at least 0.85%, which approaches the recommendation of 0.84% that is estimated by the National Research Council (2012). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The best predictions were obtained with farm-level training and ensemble methods. • Reliable predictions were also obtained with simple machine learning algorithms. • Effects of farm, litter size, and parity on litter performance were confirmed. • The presented approach enables the estimation of milk nutrient output in sows. Predicting litter performance in lactating sows is an essential step towards the development of decision support systems for precision feeding in lactating sows. Numerous factors affecting litter performance have been described in literature. However, predictive models working on-farm in real time are not available. The main objectives of this research was to (i) explore 4 different machine learning strategies, and (ii) identify the best supervised learning algorithm in order to obtain reliable predictions of litter performance. This study was carried out with data obtained from 6 experimental farms over the last 20 years. Algorithms were trained to predict the litter weight at weaning using a set of 4 numeric and 3 categorical features, and a method for predicting secondary litter performance and nutrient output in milk from the predicted litter weight at weaning was evaluated. To evaluate the reliability of predictions within each farm, the mean error per farm (ME f) and the mean absolute percentage error per farm (MAPE f) were computed. The best performance for the prediction of litter weight at weaning was obtained with an ensemble algorithm with farm-level training and testing (ME f = −0.14 kg; MAPE f = 9.01%), but performance with simple linear regression was very close (MAPE f = 9.30%). Learning across all farms only achieved comparable results with the neural networks algorithm, but at higher computational costs. The method for predicting secondary litter performance and nutrient output from the predictions of litter weight at weaning reveals that the ME f remains close to 0, and that the MAPE f only increases by a few percentage points. This study confirms the effect of numerous factors known in the literature to affect litter performance, such as litter size and parity of sows, but also revealed huge variations between farms. According to this study, reliable predictions could be obtained with interpretable supervised algorithms trained at farm level, with features that can be easily measured on-farm. This study thus shows that on-farm data are necessary to accurately train models and make reliable predictions at farm level. These predictions could be used by decision support systems in order to develop precision feeding approaches in lactating sows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of maize distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) during late gestation and lactation on sow and piglet performance, and on colostrum and milk composition. Thirty-six second- and third-parity (2.43 parity) sows (Yorkshire) were allotted to 1 of 3 groups and fed diets containing 0 (control), 200 or 400g DDGS/kg during the last 20d of gestation and throughout a 21d of lactation. Experimental diets contained 12.9MJ metabolizable energy/kg and 9.7g lysine/kg. The colostrum and milk samples were obtained on d 0 (farrowing) and d 21 (weaning). There were no differences (P>0.05) in the sows’ average gestation lengths, weaning-to-estrus interval, average daily feed intake, and the lactation backfat and body weight change between dietary treatments. There were no dietary effects (P>0.05) of DDGS on the numbers of total, born alive piglets, average birth weights, piglets per litter at weaning or piglets average daily gain during lactation. No differences (P>0.05) were observed in total solids, protein, fat and lactose among the sows fed the DDGS diets compared with the control. The composition of total solids and protein of sows colostrum and milk were higher at farrowing (d 0) than at weaning (d 21) (P<0.001). However, the fat and lactose content of sows colostrum and milk were increased (P<0.001) from d 0 (farrowing) to d 21 (weaning). In conclusion, the results suggest that 400g DDGS/kg (87g lysine/kg) supplemented with 5.2g lysine/kg included in late gestation and lactation diets is sufficient to replace all the dietary soybean meal without significantly affecting sow and litter performance or colostrum and milk composition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between water, feed intake, relative body weight loss, and the weaning weight of piglets of lactating sows and to analyse the curves of water and feed intake. Data recording was performed on the Hohenschulen research farm of the Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry of the University of Kiel between April 2007 and June 2008. The sow herd had a size of 105 productive sows. The average water and feed intake, relative body weight loss of sows and the weaning weight of the piglets were 27.5lday−1, 5.9kgday−1, 0.5% and 8.7kg, respectively. Average lactation length was 26days. Water intake increased from day 1 to day 16 of lactation and remained constant until weaning. Second parity class sows had an increased water intake over the lactation period compared to younger and older sows. They also consumed more feed than older sows (6.1kgday−1 versus 5.7kgday−1). The water-to-feed ratio decreased at the beginning until day eight of lactation. After a slight increase the water-to-feed ratio remained constant. The lactation period was divided into three stages (Stage 1: days 1 to 8 of lactation, Stage 2: days 9 to 16 and Stage 3: days 17 to 26). The correlation of water intake between adjacent stages was high 0.76 and 0.80. The relation of feed intake between Stages 1 and 2 and between Stages 1 and 3 was low. The correlation of the water and feed intake within the stages increased more than between these traits and different stages. But the negative values indicated that an increased water intake decreased the relative body weight loss. The relation between the second and third stages of feed intake of lactation and relative body weight loss showed that an increased feed intake decreased relative body weight simultaneously with an increase in the weaning weight of the piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of feeding flax as seed, meal, or oil to late-pregnant and lactating sows on hormone concentrations, immune responses, and sow and litter performances was studied. Sixty sows were fed 1 of 4 diets from 68 d of gestation until 21 d of lacta- tion. Diets were standard (CTL; n = 15); 10% flax- seed supplementation (FS; n = 16); 6.5% flaxseed meal supplementation (FSM; n = 14); and 3.5% flaxseed oil supplementation (FSO, n = 15). On d 88 and 101 of gestation, sows were immunized against ovalbumin (OVA). Jugular blood samples were obtained on d 62, 88, and 110 of gestation and on d 2 and 21 of lacta- tion to measure concentrations of estradiol, prolactin, and progesterone as well as antibody (Ab) against OVA (anti-OVA), lymphocyte proliferation, and lymphocyte production of interferon -γ (IFN-γ). Milk samples were obtained on d 3 and 20 of lactation. One piglet per lit- ter was slaughtered on d 1 for compositional analyses, and a jugular blood sample was obtained for anti-OVA analyses. Remaining piglets were weighed on d 2, 7, 14, 21 (weaning), 28, and 56. Circulating hormone concentrations in sows were not affected by treatment overall (P> 0.1). On d 20 of lactation, milk from FS, FSM, and FSO sows had more protein than that from CTL sows (P < 0.01). The FSM piglets weighed more on d 56 (P < 0.05) than FS and FSO piglets. Carcasses of 1-d-old FSM piglets also had greater glycogen (P < 0.001) and DM (P = 0.05) contents than FS and FSO piglets, but organ weights and circulating concentrations of glucose and IGF-I did not differ (P> 0.1). In CTL sows, IFN-γ production decreased between d 101 of gestation and d 2 of lactation, whereas, in FS sows, IFN-γ production increased.(P < 0.01). Anti-OVA for the whole experi- mental period was greater in FS than in FSO sows (P < 0.05). Concentrations of anti-OVA in milk on d 3 of lactation and lymphocyte proliferative responses were not affected by treatments (P> 0.1). Serum concentrations of anti-OVA in 2-d-old piglets that gained BW during the first 24 h after birth were greater (P < 0.01) in FS, FSM, and FSO litters than in CTL litters and percent mortality on d 2 and 21 postpartum was less (P < 0.05) for FS, FSM, and FSO litters compared with CTL. Therefore, feeding flax to sows may have beneficial effects on immune resistance of piglets and feeding FSM improved postweaning growth of piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Forty Landrace×Large White lactating sows were used to evaluate the effects of cooling of the floor when maintained under high temperature conditions during summer on their productive and reproductive performance. The sows were allocated in a completely randomized design with two treatments with 20 replicates according to parity number and body weight, with each animal being considered an experimental unit. The treatments consisted of cooling of the floor under the sow with water circulation at about 17 °C and no cooling. The resulting temperatures of the floor were 27.6 and 35.8 °C for the cooled and the control treatments, respectively. The sows from both treatments were exposed to average maximum and minimum environmental temperatures of 26.9 and 20.8 °C, respectively. Sows maintained on a cooled floor had a higher feed intake (6.47 vs. 5.61 kg/day; P <0.01). Despite this higher intake, sows maintained on a cooled floor had higher body weight and body protein losses during the lactation period (P <0.01) in connection with a higher milk yield and subsequent growth of the litter (2280 vs. 1798 g/day; P <0.01). There was an effect of treatment on rectal temperature, surface temperatures and respiratory rate (P <0.01) with lower values in sows submitted to floor cooling. It is concluded that floor cooling under the lactating sow improves its productive and reproductive performance, as well as the performance of its litter. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]