Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T00:01:48.397Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The influence of food intake and allyl trenbolone administration during lactation on plasma steroid concentrations and the reproductive performance of multiparous sows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. N. Costa  and
M. A. Varley
A. N. Costa
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
M. A. Varley
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
Get access

Abstract

An experiment was made to examine the effects of food intake and an orally active progestagen on plasma steroid concentrations and subsequent reproductive performance of multiparous sows. Thirty-five multiparous Landrace × Large White sows were assigned to one of four treatments immediately after parturition. Treatment H-AT sows were offered a high level of food intake throughout lactation: 3·5 kg of a diet containing 160 g/kg dry matter (DM) of crude protein and 13 MJ digestible energy per kg DM given twice daily. Treatment H+AT sows were offered the same food intake as H-AT sows and in addition they were given 20 mglday of allyl trenbolone (AT) mixed with the morning feed. Treatment L-AT sows were given 1·5 kg of the same diet offered twice daily during lactation and treatment L+AT sows were also offered this lower level of food intake and given AT. The respective levels of food intake were offered to sows from the 1st day of lactation onwards until weaning at 21 days post partum. Litter weights at weaning were influenced significantly by feeding level (P < 0·001) and also by AT administration (P <0·05). Sows on the high level of feeding had the heaviest litters and food-restricted sows had the lightest litters. AT treatment depressed litter weight at weaning. There was no effect of food level or AT on the plasma concentrations of progesterone or oestrogens during lactation. There was a highly significant (P <0·001) difference in mean plasma oestrogen concentration between high (H-AT and H+AT) and low (L-AT and L+AT) fed groups during early pregnancy in the subsequent cycle. Sows given a combination of high energy in lactation and AT (H+AT) exhibited shorter intervals from weaning to oestrus than both groups of food-restricted (L-AT and L+AT) sows fP <0·01) but treatment had no significant effect on either the farrowing rate or on the subsequent litter size. It is concluded that despite significant changes in the live weight and condition of sows and changes in steroid hormone concentrations due to food intake and the administration of allyl trenbolone, there were no significant effects on reproductive performance.

Keywords

allyl trenbolonefood intakelactationreproductive performancesows
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 59 , Issue 1 , August 1994 , pp. 111 - 118
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adam, J. L. and Shearer, I. J. 1975. Effects on sow and litter performance of energy intake in lactation and feeding patterns after weaning. New Zealand journal of Experimental Agriculture 3: 55–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aherne, F. X. and Kirkwood, R. N. 1985. Nutrition and sow prolificacy, journal of Reproduction and Fertility: suppl. 33, pp. 169–183.Google Scholar
Arbeiter, K., Onderscheka, K., Choi, H. S., Weber, E. and Jochle, W. 1974. Effect of megestrol acetate on milk production in sows and piglet growth. Theriogenology 2: 77–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, J. D., Britt, J. H. and Kraeling, R. R. 1986. Effect of restriction of energy during lactation on body condition, energy metabolism, endocrine changes and reproductive performance in primiparous sows. Journal of Animal Science 63: 1915–1925CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brendemuhl, J. H., Lewis, A. J. and Peo, E. R. 1987. Effect of protein and energy intake by primiparous sows during lactation on sow and litter performance and sow serum thyroxine and urea concentrations. journal of Animal Science 64: 1060–1069.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Britt, J. H., Armstrong, J. D. and Cox, N. M. 1988. Metabolic interfaces between nutrition and reproduction in pigs. Proceedings of the eleventh congress on animal reproduction and artificial insemination, Dublin, pp. 117–126.Google Scholar
Britt, J. H. and Sesti, L. A. C. 1991. Maximizing fertility and fecundity in the sow. Revista Brasileira de Reproduccion Animal, suppl. 1, pp. 22–41.Google Scholar
Cole, D. J. A. 1990. Nutritional strategies to optimize reproduction in pigs. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility: suppl. 40, pp. 67–82.Google Scholar
Costa, A. N. and Varley, M. A. 1991. The influence of allyltrenbolone on the steroid hormone concentrations of multiparous sows in lactation and after weaning. Animal Production 52: 560–561.Google Scholar
Dyck, G. W. and Cole, D. J. A. 1986. The effect of restricted energy and nutrient intake after mating on reproductive performance of multiparous sows. Animal Production 42: 127–132.Google Scholar
Elsley, F. W. H., MacPherson, R. M. and McDonald, I. 1968. The influence of intake of dietary energy in pregnancy and lactation upon sow productivity. journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 71: 215–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henry, R. W., Pickard, D. W. and Hughes, P. E. 1984. The effects of lactation length and food level on subsequent reproductive performance in the sow. Animal Production 38: 527 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Hitchcook, J. P., Sherrit, G. W., Gobble, J. L. and Hazlett, V. E. 1971. Effect of lactation feeding level of the sow on performance and subsequent reproduction. journal of Animal Science 33: 30–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hughes, P. E., Henry, R. W. and Pickard, D. W. 1984. The effects of lactation food level on subsequent ovulation rate and early embryonic survival in the sow. Animal Production 38: 527 (abstr.).Google Scholar
I'Anson, H., Foster, D. L., Foxcroft, G. R. and Booth, P. J. 1991. Nutrition and reproduction. Oxford Reviezvs of Reproductive Biology 13: 239–311.Google ScholarPubMed
Jochle, W., Smidt, D., Holtz, W. and Spangenberg, B. 1975. Effects of feeding of a progestogen (chlormadinone acetate) to lactating sows on piglet growth and survival. Theriogenology 3: 130–132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnston, L. J., Fogwell, R. L., Weldon, W. C., Ames, N. K., Ullrey, D. E. and Miller, E. R. 1989. Relationship between body fat and postweaning interval to estrus in primiparous sows. Journal of Animal Science 67: 943–950.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnston, L. J., Orr, D. E., Tribble, L. F. and Clark, J. R. 1986. Effect of lactation and rebreeding phase energy intake on primiparous and multiparous sow performance. Journal of Animal Science 63: 804–814.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
King, R. H. and Williams, I. H. 1984a. The effect of nutrition on the reproductive performance of first-litter sows. 1. Feeding level during lactation, and between weaning and mating. Animal Production 38: 241–247.Google Scholar
King, R. H. and Williams, I. H. 1984b. The effect of nutrition on the reproductive performance of first-litter sows. 2. Protein and energy intakes during lactation. Animal Production 38: 249–256.Google Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N., Baidoo, S. K. and Aherne, F. X. 1990. The influence of feeding level during lactation and gestation on the endocrine status and reproductive performance of second parity sows. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 70: 1119–1126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N., Baidoo, S. K., Aherne, F. X. and Sather, A. P. 1987a. The influence of feeding level during lactation on the occurrence and endocrinology of the postweaning estrus in sows. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 67 405–415.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N., Lythgoe, E. S. and Aherne, F. X. 1987b. Effect of lactation food intake and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone on the reproductive performance of sows. Canadian journal of Animal Science 67: 715–719.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N., Smith, W. C. and Lapwood, K. R. 1986. Influence of oral administration of allyl trenbolone on subsequent litter size of primiparous sows. New Zealand Journal of Experimental Agriculture 14: 477–480.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N. and Thacker, P. A. 1990. Failure of an induced ovulation during lactation to improve sows or litter performance. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 70: 135–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lynch, P. B. 1989. Voluntary food intake of sows and gilts. In The voluntary food intake of pigs (ed. Forbes, J. M., Varley, M. A. and Lawrence, T. L. J.), occasional publication, British Society of Animal Production, no. 13, pp. 71–77.Google Scholar
Lythgoe, E. S. and Aherne, F. X. 1986. The effects of weight loss during lactation on reproductive performance in primiparous and multiparous sows. Part I. Feed intake, weight change and fat loss. Agriculture and Forestry bulletin, University of Alberta, special issue, pp. 114–116.Google Scholar
Moser, R. L. 1985. Lactation food intake management. Pigs: an international magazine on pig keeping 1:(3), 26–29.Google Scholar
Nelssen, J. L., Lewis, A. J., Peo, E. R. and Crenshaw, J. D. 1985. Effect of dietary energy intake during lactation on performance of primiparous sows and their litters. Journal of Animal Science 61: 1164–1171.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearce, G. P. 1985. Boar induced precocious puberty attainment in the gilt. Ph.D. thesis, University of Leeds.Google Scholar
Prime, G. R. 1988. The influence of level of food intake on progesterone concentrations and litter size in the pig. Ph.D. thesis, University of Leeds.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reese, D. E., Moser, B. D., Peo, E. R., Lewis, A. J., Zimmermann, D. R., Kinder, J. E. and Stroup, W. W. 1982a. Influence of energy intake during lactation on the interval from weaning to first estrus in sows. Journal of Animal Science 55: 590–598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reese, D. E., Moser, B. D., Peo, E. R., Lewis, A. J., Zimmermann, D. R., Kinder, J. E. and Stroup, W. W. 1982b. Influence of energy intake during lactation on subsequent gestation, lactation and postweaning performance of sows. Journal of Animal Science 55: 867–872.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reese, D. E., Peo, E. R. and Lewis, A. J. 1984. Relationship of lactation energy intake and occurrence of postweaning estrus to body and backfat composition in sows. Journal of Animal Science 58: 1236–1244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Varley, M. A. and Cole, D. J. A. 1976. Studies in sow reproduction. 4. The effect of level of feeding in lactation and during the interval from weaning to remating on the subsequent reproductive performance of the early-weaned sow. Animal Production 22: 71–77.Google ScholarPubMed
Varley, M. A. and Foxcroft, G. R. 1990. Endocrinology of the lactating and weaned sow. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility: suppl. 40, pp. 47–61.Google Scholar
Varley, M. A., Peaker, R. E. and Atkinson, T. 1984. Effect of lactation length of the sow on plasma progesterone, oestradiol-17B and embryonic survival. Animal Production 38: 113–119.Google Scholar
Varley, M. A. and Prime, G. R. 1993. The effect of food intake on prolificacy and plasma progesterone concentrations in multiparous sows. Livestock Production Science 34: 267–279.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, H., Varley, M. A. and Rodway, R. G. 1987. Effect of allyl-trenbolone on the attainment of puberty in gilts treated with oestradiol. Animal Production 45: 503–510.Google Scholar