What question did this study set out to answer?

This experiment aims to explore how different feeding levels of high micronutrients affect reproductive performance and progesterone levels in early gestation sows.

February 24, 2026

Effect of feeding levels with high micronutrients on the reproductive performance and plasma progesterone concentration in early gestation sows

KKKewalin KongngernNational Pingtung University of Science and Technology LHLiang-Chou HsiaNational Pingtung University of Science and Technology SSShu-Ping SuNational Pingtung University of Science and Technology

Key Points

This experiment aims to explore how different feeding levels of high micronutrients affect reproductive performance and progesterone levels in early gestation sows.
Randomly allocated thirty-six first-parity sows to four dietary treatments during early gestation.
Monitored body weight, body condition score, and backfat thickness at day 30 of gestation.
Assessed litter size and number of stillborn and mummified piglets among treatment groups.
Measured plasma progesterone concentration at 10 and 30 days of gestation.
Sows in the highest feed group had greater body weight, condition score, and backfat thickness.
Treatment 4 yielded the highest litter size compared to others.
Treatments 2 and 3 showed low stillborn and mummified piglets, leading to more weaned piglets than treatments 1 and 4.
Plasma progesterone levels were highest in Treatment 3 but did not differ significantly among treatment groups.

Abstract

This experiment investigated the effect of feeding levels with high micronutrients on the reproductive performance and plasma progesterone concentration in early gestation sows. Thirty-six first-parity sows (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc), with an initial average body weight of 160.85 kg, were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments during early gestation: Treatment 1) fed 1.5 kg/day (days 1-30), Treatment 2) fed 1.5 kg/day with 1.7 times the vitamins and minerals (total vitamin E 150 IU) (days 1-15) and fed 1.5 kg/day (days 16-30), Treatment 3) fed 1.5 kg/day with 1.7 times the vitamins and minerals (total vitamin E 150 IU) (days 1-30), and Treatment 4) fed 2.5 kg/day (days 1-30), with nine replicates per treatment. At day 30 of gestation, sows in Treatment 4 had the highest body weight, body condition score, and backfat thickness (P 0.05). Treatments 2 and 3 had a high litter size but lower stillborn and mummified piglets, which led to a higher number of weaned piglets than Treatments 1 and 4 (P 0.05). In conclusion, low feed intake with 1.7 times the vitamins and minerals levels (treatments 2 and 3) in the early gestation stage increases litter size, similar to high feed intake that contains 1.7 times the vitamins and minerals (treatment 4). However, the plasma progesterone concentration showed no significant difference among the treatment groups.

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