J. Anim Sci.
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J. Anim Sci. 1983. 56:621-624.
© 1983 American Society of Animal Science
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Response of Swine to Periparturient Vitamin C Supplementation1

J. T. Yen and W. G. Pond

US Department of Agriculture2, Clay Center, NE 68933

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted, involving 68 third-litter sows and 20 first-litter gilts in Exp. 1 and 82 first-litter gilts in Exp. 2. On d 108 of gestation, the dams were moved into individual crates, stratified by parity and breed, and randomly assigned within strata, to one of two treatments: (1) fed a basal 16% protein corn-soybean meal diet, 1.8 and 2.7 kg once daily before farrowing and for the first 7 d of lactation, respectively, and then ad libitum until pigs were weaned at 28 d of age, and (2) fed the basal diet plus 1 g of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C)/dam daily from d 108 of gestation through d 7 of lactation and on the same feeding schedule as for treatment 1. In Exp. 1, no effect of vitamin C supplementation was observed in sows or gilts on total pigs born/ litter, number of live pigs/litter or average live pig weight at birth, 7 or 28 d of age, or on plasma vitamin C concentration of dams at d 108 of gestation or d 7 of lactation or of pigs at birth, 7 or 28 d of age. However, there was a lower (P<.01) plasma vitamin C concentration of the dams at d 7 of lactation than at d 108 of gestation. Plasma vitamin C concentration also declined (P<.01) as pigs aged. In Exp. 2, with all gilts, vitamin C supplementation again showed no effect on any of the reproductive traits measured in Exp. 1. It is concluded that daily supplementation of 1 g of vitamin C to either sows or gilts from d 108 of gestation through d 7 of lactation has no beneficial effect on the reproductive or lactation performance of swine.

Footnotes

1 The authors are grateful to Dr. R. N. Lindvall, Wayne Peshek and associates for animal care and feeding; to Bob Lee and Dale Hill for technical assistance and to Sherry Hansen for stenographic work.

2 Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Science and Education, Agr. Res.






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Copyright © 1983 by the American Society of Animal Science.