Effects of lactation feed intake and creep feeding on sow and piglet performance

A total of 84 sows (PIC Line 1050) were blocked according to day of farrowing and parity and allotted in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with lactation feed intake (ad libitum vs. restricted) and creep feeding (no vs. yes) as factors. Sows fed for ad libitum intake (ad libitum-fed) were allowed free access to a common lactation diet (3,503 kcal of ME/kg, 0.97% standardized ileal digestible Lys), and sows with restricted intake (restricted-fed) were fed 25% less than ad libitum-fed sows. A creep diet (3,495 ME/kg, 1.56% standardized ileal digestible Lys) with 1.0% chromic oxide was offered to creep-fed pigs from d 3 to 21. Fecal samples from creep-fed pigs were taken with sterile swabs on d 7, 14, and 21, and color was assessed to categorize pigs as eaters or non-eaters. There were no interactions (P > 0.15) between lactation feed intake and creep feeding. Ad libitum-fed sows had greater (P < 0.01) total feed intake and ADFI (99.4, 4.9 kg) than restricted-fed sows (67.9, 3.6 kg). Ad libitum-fed sows had reduced BW loss (-15 vs. -24 kg; P < 0.01), improved total (46.7 vs. 43.0 kg; P < 0.04) and daily (2.56 vs. 2.36 kg; P < 0.04) BW gains of litters, and increased (90 vs. 71%; P < 0.03) percentage of sows returning to estrus by d 14 compared with restricted-fed sows. Creep feeding for 18 d did not affect (P > 0.34) sow BW and backfat loss but increased days to estrus (5.4 vs. 4.9 d; P < 0.03). Creep feeding had no (P > 0.16) effect on preweaning growth performance. Postweaning performance of creep-fed and non-creep-fed pigs was similar (P > 0.86). When individual pigs were categorized on the basis of creep feed consumption category, eaters had greater (P < 0.05) ADG (393, 376, and 378 g) and total BW gains (11.0, 10.5, and 10.6 kg) than non-eaters or non-creep-fed pigs. In conclusion, creep feeding for 18 d did not affect preweaning and lactating sow performance. Low feed intake during lactation negatively affected sow and litter performance. Creating more creep-feed eaters during the lactation period may benefit postweaning performance. Therefore, dietary and nondietary factors that can enhance the proportion of eaters in litters should be investigated.