Life Cycle Nutrition

Question 1

What is the approximate length of a swine life cycle?

Answer 1

338 days

Question 2

What are the different stages of a swine lifecycle?

Answer 2

1. Nursing/lactation
2. Nursery
3. Grower
4. Finishing
5. Gilt development
6. Gestation

Question 3

Which stages is the longest? Shortest?

Answer 3

Gestation is 114 days.
Nursing/lactation is 21 days

Question 4

What is the nursing/lactation phase?

Answer 4

Period when neonatal pigs are 100% reliant on the sow/mother for nutrition/milk.

Question 5

A sow will produce her body weight in milk in ____ days

Answer 5

20

Question 6

What is milk composed of?

Answer 6

80% water, 20% solids (fat, protein, lactose, ash)

Question 7

What is a thermoneutral zone?

Answer 7

A thermoneutral zone is the temperature range in which a pig can maintain normal body temperature with out any excessive energy expenditures to keep warm or keep cool

Question 8

Thermoneutral zone of sows? Newborn pigs?

Answer 8

Sows: 50-70
Newborn pigs: 90-100
They will use heat lamps, heat mats or heat boxes.

Question 9

What happens to feed intake when upper critical limit of thermoneutral zone? Below?

Answer 9

Above: feed intake decreases
Below: feed intake increases

Question 10

If a piglet doesn’t get enough access to a teat frequently, what can be done?

Answer 10

Remove them from the sow on day 2-3 of lactation and give milk replacer.

Question 11

How can you make transition to nursery phase easier?

Answer 11

creep feed towards the end of lactation (highly digestible)

Question 12

What is nursery phase?

Answer 12

piglets are weaned, adjust their diets to a grain diet

Question 13

What is commonly found in nursery phase diets?

Answer 13

1. milk derived carbohydrate (lactose)
2. protein (whey)
3. plasma protein
4. spray-dried blood cells
5. antibiotics
6. fish meal
7. soybean oil

Question 14

What does spray-dried plasma contain that is important?

Answer 14

22% immunoglobulin which stimulate the immune system

Question 15

Why can’t soybean meal be added to nursery diets?

Answer 15

It may stimulate an allergenic response

Question 16

What is the grower and finisher phase?

Answer 16

It is the time from exiting the nursery until market.

Question 17

When is a pig market ready?

Answer 17

5-6 months in age, 260-280 lbs

Question 18

What might be added to grower but not finisher diet?

Answer 18

1. DDGS (lots of unsaturated fat)
2. antibiotics (minimum withdrawal time)

Question 19

What might be added to finisher but not grower diet?

Answer 19

Beta-agonists added 2-4 before market to increase lean gain and decrease fat gain

Question 20

What is gilt development phase?

Answer 20

pigs that are going to enter the reproductive herd, focus on reproductive performance

Question 21

_________, or providing ____ extra lbs of feed, 2 weeks prior to breeding may increase ______

Answer 21

flushing, 2 extra lbs, increases ovulation

Question 22

What is the gestation phase?

Answer 22

period where the sow is pregnant, ~114 days

Question 23

What might be high in a gestation diet?

Answer 23

fiber to make it more filling

Question 24

What pigs will be limit-fed?

Answer 24

Boars, developing gilt, gestating sow

Question 25

What is growth?

Answer 25

A result of accumulation of protein, fat, minerals, and the associated energy deposition

Question 26

Why are energy needs of neonates high?

Answer 26

1. cost of maintaining body temp
2. growth intensity high
3. low fat stores

Question 27

More lipids in colostrum or milk?

Answer 27

Milk

Question 28

What are the essential fatty acids?

Answer 28

1. Linoleic (precursor)
2. Linolenic
3. Arachidonic