Grass clover intake and effects of reduced dietary protein for organic sows during summer

Summary

Energy spent on thermoregulation and locomotive activity may increase the energy requirements of outdoor relative to indoor housed sows, whilst their protein requirement most likely is comparable on a daily basis but lower per kg of feed. The purpose of this study was to quantify the energy and protein intake from compound feed and grazing and the energy and protein needed for maintenance, maternal retention, milk production, thermoregulation and locomotive activity in organic sows during summer, to
understand how nutrition of organic sows could be improved. A total of 41 2nd parity sows (Landrace x Yorkshire; 239 kg at insemination) were reared outdoor under organic conditions for six months. Sows were fed one of two iso-energetic diets, either commercial available gestation and lactation diets (control strategy), or a 12% lower protein supply obtained by diluting the control diets with a low protein supplement. Sows had ad libitum access to a plentiful grass clover sward and were supplied similar amounts of metabolizable energy (ME) from compound feed equivalent to 10% above the energy recommended for indoor sows. Collections of plasma and urine were performed on d 60 and d 100 of gestation and plasma, urine and milk was collected on d 5, 20 and 40 of lactation. On all sample collection days, sows (and piglets; n=671) were weighed individually, sows were back fat scanned and heart rate and locomotive activity was registered with a global positioning system (GPS) tracker. Sow body composition was estimated using a deuterium dilution technique, which allowed retention or mobilisation of protein and fat to be calculated. Grass intake was estimated via plasma pipecolic acid. Daily grass clover intake was on average 420 g DM/d during gestation, 574 g DM/d at peak lactation and 472 g DM/d on d 40 of lactation, corresponding to 2.4, 3.2 and 2.6 kg of fresh grass. There was an increased grass clover intake in the low protein group, as they consumed 14% more grass (37 g DM/d extra) than the sows fed the normal protein compound feed (P=0.007). Estimated milk yield peaked at 16.3 kg/d on d20. This experiment showed no effects of dietary protein level on urinary pH, urea or creatinine and no effects on plasma glucose, urea, lactate, triglycerides, creatinine or NEFA concentrations. It was possible to reduce the protein content of organic compound feed in the summer time as grazing pregnant sows obtained 16-17% of their daily SID lysine requirement from the sward in mid and late gestation. In conclusion, the daily protein- and amino acid requirements were met by feed and grass consumption during pregnancy but not in early and at peak lactation due to insufficient feed intake. The total energy requirement of high yielding second parity outdoor sows during a normal Danish summer was found to be around 32 MJ ME/d during gestation and approximately 130 MJ ME/d at peak lactation.