Does duration of teat use in first parity affect milk yield and mammary gene expression in second parity?

Farmer, C; Amezcua, M; Bruckmaier, Rupert; Wellnitz, Olga; Friendship, R (2017). Does duration of teat use in first parity affect milk yield and mammary gene expression in second parity? Journal of animal science, 95(2), pp. 681-687. Oxford University Press 10.2527/jas.2016.1119

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It was recently shown that a teat that is not used in the first lactation will have a reduced development and milk yield in the second lactation. In the current study, the impact of imposing a suckling period of 2, 7, or 21 d during the first lactation on piglet performance, milk composition, endocrine status, and mammary gene expression of sows in their second lactation was studied. Pregnant Yorkshire gilts were divided into 3 groups according to lactation length: 1) 2-d lactation (2D; = 20), 2) 7-d lactation (7D; = 20), and 3) 21-d lactation (21D; = 21). After weaning, sows were bred and kept for a second parity. In both lactations, litters were standardized to 12 piglets with 12 functional teats and surplus teats were sealed. In the second lactation, piglets were weighed on d 2, 7, 14, 21 (weaning), 31, and 56 postpartum, and sow feed intake was recorded. On d 110 of gestation and on d 21 of lactation, mammary biopsies were performed on 10 sows per treatment to obtain parenchymal tissue samples for determination of mRNA abundance for , , , , , and genes. Milk samples and jugular blood samples were also obtained from sows on d 21 of lactation. Standard composition analyses (DM, fat, protein, and lactose) were done in milk. Concentrations of prolactin, IGF-1, glucose, and urea were measured in blood. There was a tendency for 21D sows to consume more feed than 2D or 7D sows during the first week of lactation ( < 0.10). There was no treatment effect on BW of piglets at any time until d 56 ( > 0.10). Concentrations of prolactin, IGF-1, urea, and glucose in sows on d 21 of lactation were not affected by treatment ( > 0.10). Dry matter, fat, protein, and lactose contents in milk were not altered by treatment ( > 0.10). On d 110 of gestation, gene expression was greater ( = 0.05) in 21D sows than in 7D sows. On d 21 of lactation, gene expression of was greater ( = 0.05) and that of tended to be lower ( < 0.10) in 7D sows than in 2D sows. The mRNA abundance of also tended to be lower ( < 0.10) in 2D sows than in 7D sows. Results indicate that increasing the duration of lactation from 2 d to 7 d or to 21 d in first-parity sows did not improve growth rate of their piglets in the subsequent lactation. This suggests that suckling of a teat for 2 d during the first lactation is sufficient to ensure optimal mammary development.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH) > Veterinary Physiology
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Research and Veterinary Public Health (DCR-VPH)

UniBE Contributor:

Bruckmaier, Rupert, Wellnitz, Olga

Subjects:

500 Science > 590 Animals (Zoology)
600 Technology > 630 Agriculture

ISSN:

0021-8812

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Language:

English

Submitter:

Hélène Elisabeth Meier

Date Deposited:

20 Jun 2018 09:18

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:12

Publisher DOI:

10.2527/jas.2016.1119

PubMed ID:

28380616

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/114692

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