IMPROVING PIGLET SURVIVABILITY AND SOW WELFARE THROUGH MICROENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT USING PRECISION TECHNOLOGY

Pre-weaning piglets require ambient temperatures that are well above the thermal comfort zone for lactating sows. With the trend of increasing litter sizes, reduced birth weights, and the resulting greater cold stress sensitivity, an insufficient thermal environment will increase piglet mortality. Technologies such as heating lamps and pads can be used to maintain the piglets' required temperature range under lower ambient temperatures. However, while these technologies have improved in recent years, their temperature control is often based on a single room temperature, and previous research by our group demonstrates that this does not reflect the thermal environment of individual crates nor does this practice provide sufficient heating for younger litters in the same room. In addition, it is customary practice for swine producers to maintain farrowing facilities at temperatures at or approaching the upper threshold of a lactating sow's thermal comfort zone to mitigate potential cold stress for the piglets. Unfortunately, this practice has the unintended consequence of causing heat stress in the lactating sow thereby reducing feed intake and lactation capacity, which can have unintended effects on future piglet growth and welfare. This negative impact can put the long-term growth potential of piglets at risk if sow milk output is reduced due to elevated barn temperatures, especially for those piglets most at risk for mortality (≤1.0 kg) who require more milk energy availability to increase body weight gain during lactation. Therefore, the proposed study objectives are 1.) to develop, refine, and validate a microenvironment management system to maintain piglet and sow thermal comfort, and 2.) to determine whether housing lactating sows at lower whole-room or sow level (macroenvironment) ambient temperatures while using a microenvironment management system to maintain the piglets preferred ambient temperature (microenvironment) will improve piglet and sow welfare and performance.