ENERGY AND PROTEIN-REQUIREMENTS IN THE REPRODUCTIVE SOW

Energy and protein requirements of sows can vary widely according to physiological stage, reproductive performance, behaviour and housing conditions. It is why we propose to calculate these nutritional requirements by the factorial approach, in order to determine a feeding strategy that allows to maintain adequate body reserves over the whole reproductive life, and minimize reproductive disorders. During lactation the energy requirements are high and closely related to milk production, whereas in pregnancy they are low and mainly affected by the housing conditions or the behaviour of the animal. In the same way, amino acids requirements are rather low in pregnancy and they increase drastically in lactation, according to the high protein output in milk and the insufficient appetite of the sow during that period. Thus, it is recommended to adapt the composition of the diet according to the nutritional requirement of each physiological stage.