PSII-B-29 - Effects of piglet cross-fostering on pre-weaning growth

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of cross-fostering on piglet growth during lactation. Entire litters (n=40) were allocated to 1 of 2 treatments: control (CON) and foster. Three piglets (FOS) from each CON litter were randomly selected and moved to a foster litter 12 to 24 h post-farrowing, where they were nursed along resident (RES) piglets until weaning (approximately 18 d of age). Piglets were weighed at birth and every 3 d until 15 d of age. Average daily gain (ADG) was calculated through 15 d of age. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS. There was a treatment by day interaction (P = 0.003). At birth, RES piglets were heavier than CON piglets (P = 0.02), while FOS piglets were not significantly different from CON or RES piglets (P = 0.07 and 0.52, respectively). However, CON piglets were numerically heavier than RES piglets on day 15 (P = 0.07), with FOS piglets being intermediate to but not significantly different from CON and RES piglets (P = 0.38 and 0.61, respectively). While weights between CON and RES piglets were significantly different at birth and tended to be different on day 15, there was no difference in ADG from birth to day 15 (P = 0.69). Overall, the results from this study showed no significant detrimental effects of cross-fostering on pre-weaning growth.