Why do piglets need iron

The team evaluated newborn, DNA-sired pigs in 27 litters. Two days after birth, six barrows and six gilts within each litter were allotted to one of six treatments in a completely randomized design.

One group received no iron, the other five groups received the iron at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 days after birth. Pigs were weighed and blood samples were evaluated. From birth until weaning, the mg iron injection provided the greatest growth performance on day four and day six, Williams said. The greatest blood iron status was realized on day six. During the nursery phase, Williams noted that the mg iron injection on day four or day six provided the greatest body weight at the end of the nursery phase.

They did not find any evidence of difference in blood iron status in the nursery. What does the research recommend? The mg injection of iron provided the best growth response, DeRouchey said. He noted that they did not test levels above mg, however he is confident that mg is an adequate level to get optimal results given the booster injection provided no further benefit, but more research should be done to confirm this finding. Based on the data, we give up growth performance by giving them iron too soon.

The research shows days four and six are an optimal time to give your piglets the iron they need. Why Do Piglets Need Iron? Whether you are converting an existing herd or populating a barn utilizing electronic sow feeding systems with new gilts, it can be a long road to get the herd comfortable with the new system. Results 3. Blood Parameters The effects of different frequencies of iron supplementation on hematocrit in piglet blood are shown in Table 2.

Performance and Health of Piglets. Figure 1. Table 4 Effect of supplementing iron by subcutaneous injection to organically reared piglets on their third day of life only Iron1 , on day 3 and 14 Iron2 and on day 3, 14 and 21 Iron3 on body weight and daily weight gain until weaning. Table 5 Incidence of medical treatments and mortality of organically reared piglets receiving iron supplementation by subcutaneous injection on their third day of life only Iron1 , on day 3 and 14 Iron2 and on day 3, 14 and 21 Iron3.

Discussion This study was conducted in order to assess whether one subcutaneous iron injection mg iron as iron dextran is enough to ensure adequate iron supply and unimpaired growth of suckling piglets on an organic farm, and whether administering iron two or three times improves iron status and weight gain. Blood Parameters The main blood parameters used to detect imbalances in the iron metabolism of mammals are hemoglobin, hematocrit, serum iron, and the iron-binding capacity [ 27 ].

Performance and Health of Piglets On organic pig farms with suckling periods of at least 40 days, the transition to solid feed happens later than on conventional farms, where piglets are usually weaned at an age of 21—28 days. Click here for additional data file. Author Contributions Conceptualization and resources, R. Funding This research received no external funding. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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First, most indoors and outdoors farmers have chosen the right option regarding iron supplementation. Second, outdoor piglets find a sufficient amount of iron in their natural environment, probably by foraging and ingesting soil. Third, an iron supplementation is necessary indoors to avoid anaemia.

The comparison with outdoor pigs showed that a single intramuscular injection might be suboptimal. Thus, there is a need for finding alternative solutions to iron injection for newborn piglets. Email Facebook LinkedIn.