Journal
ANIMAL REPRODUCTION SCIENCE
Volume 186, Issue -, Pages 11-20Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2017.08.007
Keywords
Gilts; Age at puberty; Soluble fiber; Reproductive performance
Funding
- Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University [IRT13083]
- National Natural Science Foundation of the People's Republic of China [31772616]
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The aim of this study was to examine the effects of soluble fiber supplementation prior to puberty on age at puberty and subsequent reproductive performance of gilts. A total of 136 gilts of similar body weight (BW, 60.59 +/- 7.02 kg) and age (140 +/- 10 days) were fed a control diet (CON) or control diet supplemented with 0.8% soluble fiber (SF) until mating at the third estrus. Circulating concentrations of cholesterol, triglyceride, and estradiol in gilts fed the SF diet were lower than in CON gilts at 205 d of age. Compared with CON-fed gilts, the SF-fed gilts attained observed puberty 15.6 d earlier (P < 0.05), at a 12.2 kg lower body weight, and a 0.84 mm lower backfat thickness at the P-2 point (P < 0.05). The total number of piglets born, the number born alive, and average birthweight, were not affected by diet (P > 0.05). However, the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) was lower for SF gilts (4.62%) than for CON gilts (11.3%) (P < 0.05). There was also a greater intra-litter uniformity (P < 0.05) and a tendency for a higher number of piglets born in the SF gilts compared with the CON gilts (P = 0.07). In summary, prepubescent dietary soluble fiber supplementation can reduce the age at puberty in gilts and increase their subsequent reproductive performance as sows.
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