Effects of dietary alfalfa-orchardgrass hay and lasalocid on sow reproductive performance

Forty-eight second, third and fourth parity crossbred sows were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments: corn:alfalfa-orchardgrass hay (46%; CH); CH plus lasalocid (CHL); corn-soybean meal (CS) or CS plus lasalocid (CSL). Sows were fed these diets through two successive gestations with dietary treatment initiated at 35 d post-coitum and continued until parturition. To equalize daily metabolizable energy intake (6.6 Mcal/sow), 2.64 kg of CH and CHL diets and 1.86 kg of CS and CSL diets were fed. Lasalocid intake was 130 mg X sow-1 X d-1. Sows were weighed and backfat measurements were taken at 35 and 109 d of gestation. Sows also were weighed 14 d postpartum. A 14% crude protein corn-soybean meal diet was fed ad libitum to all sows during lactation and feed intake was recorded. Colostrum samples were obtained within 4 h of farrowing. All live piglets were weighed at birth and 14 d of age. There were no significant differences among dietary treatments in number of live piglets born, piglet birth weight, piglet weight at 14 d of age or sow rebreeding efficiency. Sows fed CHL and CSL diets had more (P less than .12) live piglets at 14 d postpartum and lower (P less than .03) total fat in colostrum than did CH- and CS-fed sows. Alfalfa-orchardgrass hay feeding resulted in less (P less than .04) backfat deposition during gestation, more (P less than .04) weight loss from 109 d postcoitum to 14 d postpartum and increased (P less than .002) feed consumption during lactation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)