**3.3 Colostrum collection and quality assessment**

It is possible to easily collect colostrum during parturition due to the almost continuous (every 5–40 min) milk ejections [29]. A brix refractometer can be used for quality assessment. Brix refractometer can be an inexpensive, rapid, and satisfactorily accurate method for estimating IgG concentration on farm [70, 71]. We recommend collecting a colostrum from several anterior teats within 0–3 h from the start of farrowing when the IgG level peaks [70]. If this is done early during parturition, sows with low-quality colostrum can be spotted and more support to her litter, e.g., assisted nursing and split suckling, can be provided. Nevertheless, it is possible to determine colostrum quality at any stage of parturition. This may be indicated if piglets are born late (farrowing duration > 12 h). Differentiation between good and poor IgG content of colostrum is possible interpreting the results with the categories proposed in **Table 3**. Colostrum with an IgG level of 50 mg IgG/ml is considered of good quality [14]. When Brix values are <20%, they reflect very low levels of IgG, while values from 25% upwards are considered to correspond to good or very good concentration of IgG in colostrum. Results between 20 and 24% are defined as borderline [70]. With borderline results, we suggest taking another sample within 1–2 h to determine whether the development of the estimated IgG content is stable, increasing, or decreasing from the initial value.

Colostrum can also be stored and used later for piglets with low colostrum intake or for litters of sows with low colostrum quality. Colostrum can be stored in a fridge for 1–2 days or in the freezer for 3–6 months. Only sows with high colostrum quantity and quality should be selected. The collected colostrum can be administered to piglets using a feeding bottle with a suitable nipple or using a syringe.

#### **3.4 Assessment of colostrum uptake**

Certain behavioral and physiological indicators can be used to identify piglets with low vitality and low colostrum uptake [72]. Piglets with low vitality may need assistance with colostrum uptake in order to prevent starvation, hypothermia, and crushing by the sow [2]. **Table 5** provides an overview of these indicators. Besides birth weight and crown-rump length, piglet's survival chance correlates with body temperature, vitality score, rooting response, and latency to teat and suckle [72]. Whenever the following criteria are met, the piglet needs assistance with colostrum uptake: vitality score of less than two (no movements within 15 s of birth), latency to teat and therefore to suckle of more than 30 min, and a body temperature of less than 37o C during the first hour after birth. In order to spot these piglets in time, we suggest looking at them every 30 min during parturition.

However, this may be difficult to implement into practice. It may be helpful to make use of thermal images to overcome these difficulties [53]. Similar to body temperature, skin temperature is linked to birth weight, vitality, and colostrum ingestion and can be used to see whether a piglet has reached the teat and suckled and ingested colostrum within 30 min of birth [73, 74]. As a piglet begins to suck and ingest colostrum, energy and warmth are produced, increasing body and therefore skin temperature [53]. If skin temperature drops below 30o C, the piglet has not been successful [53] and needs to be assisted to suckle and ingest colostrum.

#### **3.5 Assistance of colostrum uptake**

It is important to ensure that each piglet in the whole litter has a sufficient intake of good quality colostrum (more than 200 g) within 12–16 h from the beginning of parturition [14, 75]. When possible, piglets with low colostrum uptake should be assisted to suckle, by helping them to attach to the smallest functioning teats. This procedure should be repeated three to four times within the first few hours. Additionally, weakly piglets can be hand-fed with colostrum collected from their own mother or other sows.

Assisted suckling and hand-feeding are appropriate in small or normal size litters where only one or two piglets require help. In large litters or when more piglets require assistance, split suckling is more effective. In order to minimize the sibling competition for colostrum intake, the litter is split into two groups. The heavier and stronger piglets are kept in the creep area or in a separate box, allowing the smaller piglets to suckle for 60–90 min, and then the groups are switched. When separating the piglets, both groups should always have free access to a warm creep area. This can be easily achieved by using a box with an additional heat lamp for the separated group, which leaves the creep area accessible for the remaining group to suckle. Assisted suckling should be combined with split suckling if some small piglets are still unable to successfully suckle.

Another strategy is to prolong the colostral phase. Piglets ingest colostrum usually until 24 h after the onset of parturition [75]. The composition of colostrum is affected by the status of tight junctions between mammary epithelial cells, and the ability to manipulate mammary tight junctions in the late colostral phase could allow Ig concentrations to be maintained at higher levels for a longer period. Injecting a supraphysiological dose of oxytocin to sows on day 2 of lactation (i.e., between 12 and 20 h after birth of the last piglet) increased the concentrations of IGF-I, IgG, and IgA in milk collected 8h after the injection [76]. The injection of oxytocin in the early postpartum period therefore delayed the occurrence of tightening of mammary tight junctions and prolonged the colostral phase, thereby having beneficial effects on the composition of early milk.

**99**

**Table 6.**

*Tools and Protocols for Managing Hyperprolific Sows at Parturition: Optimizing Piglet Survival…*

After parturition, it is important to investigate whether the sow is at risk or suffers from puerperal disease. Sows at risk are, e.g., sows that had constipation or stress, are obese, had a prolonged parturition, experienced birth help, and gave birth to more than one stillborn piglets (**Table 6**) [3, 21, 35]. These sows need to be checked within 3 days after parturition whether the animals shows general symptoms or other clinical signs of PDS [77, 78]. Underlying causes for PDS can be constipation, endometritis/metritis, cystitis, and mastitis [12, 62]. The underlying

General symptoms include fever, reduced appetite, lethargy, and vaginal discharge [41]. Body temperature is the most frequently used to evaluate the health status of a sow in the puerperal period [78]. Reference values range from 39 [24] to 40°C [38]. Though body temperature is a sign of inflammation, it can also be affected by several other parameters such as the circadian rhythm [79], parity [79], variation in repeated measurements [80], and positioning of the thermometer in the rectum [81]. Vulvar discharge occurs also in healthy and diseased animals [82, 83] with the highest incidence between days 2 and 4 postpartum [78, 84]. Further, the color, consistency, and quantity of vaginal discharge vary regardless of whether the vaginal discharge is physiological or pathological [85]. The color can vary from clear, whitish, yellowish to reddish (**Figure 3**). The consistency varies from watery to creamy with lumps, and the amount can be up to 500 ml [85, 86]. Increased volumes of vaginal discharge are associated with endometritis, but otherwise there does not seem to be strong correlations between other characteristics of

*Indicators, based on clinical history and clinical symptoms, for postpartum dysgalactia syndrome.*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91337*

**4.1 General symptoms**

vaginal discharge and PDS [86].

**4. Tools and protocols after parturition**

cause needs to be diagnosed and immediately treated.

*Tools and Protocols for Managing Hyperprolific Sows at Parturition: Optimizing Piglet Survival… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.91337*
