METABOLIC AND BEHAVIORAL PARAMETERS IN NEWBORN PIGLETS IN RELATION TO BIRTH ORDER

Abstract

The experiment had 2 phases:During the first phase 19 sows were monitored during farrowing; the piglets were numbered according to birth order, they were weighed and there were recorded the time each piglet was born and when it first suckled. There was calculated the time from the beginning of the farrowing until the time each piglet was born (∆TNPP) and the time from birth until the first suckle (∆TPS). A statistical correlation was established between these parameters.During the second experimental phase, for 49 piglets from 5 sows were determined: birth weight, ∆TPS, glycemia at birth (G0) and after the first suckle (G1), rectal temperature at birth (T0) and after the first suckles (T1). This data was statistically analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test).Respecting the birth order, ∆TPS is shorter for piglets born last (p<0.05). Average ∆TPS was 23.04±2.49 minutes; during this time glycemia rises from 58.35 mg% to 64.35 mg% and rectal temperature drops from 38.58°C to 37.35°C. T0 is positively correlated with G0 (p<0.01) with G1 (p<0.01) and T1 (p<0.01). G0 is highly correlated to G1 (r=0.8855; p=0).

Keywords

• newborn piglets
• first suckle
• glycemia
• temperature