Methods to Supply Chilled Drinking Water for Lactating Sows During High Ambient Temperatures

Figures & data

Figure 1. Overall scheme of the chilled drinking water supplying device. The thermometer 1 sends a signal for temperature in a farrowing room to the controller 2. The controller sends a signal to the switch 3. When temperature in farrowing room is above 25°C and the timer 8 is operated by schedule, the switch turns on the refrigerator 4, circulation pump 5, solenoid valve 6 of chilled water line, speaker 10 and turns off the solenoid valve 7 of unchilled drinking water line. Then chilled drinking water from the refrigerator is circulated through the chilled water line and supplied through the nipple line. The computer 9 is turned on during the experimental period.

Figure 2. Temperature (°C) and relative humidity (%) in the farrowing room. The sensors were automatically sampled once per 10 min, and the average value for each week was recorded throughout the experimental period.

Figure 3. Effect of chilled drinking water supplying methods on percentage of sows displaying oestrus after weaning. Grey, oestrus ≤5 days after weaning; black, oestrus >5 days after weaning. Control, free access to unchilled water at 22°C; FACW, free access to chilled drinking water at 15°C; RACW, restricted access to chilled water at 15°C; RACW+SS, restricted access to chilled water at 15°C + sound stimulus.

Table 1. Composition of diets fed to lactating sows.

Ingredients, %
Corn	52.39
Soybean meal	29.00
Wheat	7.83
Wheat barn	2.00
Tallow	5.00
L-Lysine (95%)	0.20
DL-Methionine (50%)	0.05
Limestone	0.83
Tricalcium phosphate	1.90
Salt	0.30
Vitamin-mineral mix^°	0.40
Antibiotics	0.10
Total	100.00
Chemical composition
ME, kcal/kg	3437.80
Crude protein, %	18.59
Crude fat, %	7.78
Crude fibre, %	4.79
Crude ash, %	6.53
Lysine, %	1.19
Methionine, %	0.31
Calcium, %	0.90
Phosphorus, %	0.73

°Composition per kg of mix: vitamin A, 2,750,000 U; vitamin D₃, 220,000 U; riboflavin, 1450 mg; d-pantothenic acid, 11,000 mg; niacin, 11,000 mg; choline, 110,000 mg; vitamin B₁₂, 11 mg; menadione, 1.100 mg; ethoxyquin, 2.2 g; vitamin E, 11,000 U; contained: Zn, 20%; Fe, 10%; Mn, 5.5%; Cu, 1.1%; I, 0.15%.

Table 2. Effects of chilled drinking water supplying methods on performance (mean±SD) of lactating sows.

	Supplying methods				P
	Control	FACW	RACW	RACW+SS
Sows, n	30	30	30	30
Feed intake, kg/d	2.47±0.25^b	3.28±0.43^a	3.26±0.43^a	3.25±0.48^a	0.0001
Water consumption, L/d	31.1±2.4^b	38.3±4.2^a	37.9±4.4^a	38.4±3.6^a	0.0001
Back fat thickness, mm
Before farrowing	27.9±8.1	27.1±4.6	28.4±4.8	25.2±6.8	0.3415
At farrowing	23.7±6.4	25.0±4.1	25.7±6.8	22.3±5.6	0.2276
Back fat thickness loss	4.1±3.8	2.1±3.9	2.5±5.3	2.9±3.1	0.3256
Milk production, kg/d^°	6.5±1.3^b	7.6±1.8^a	7.4±1.4^a	7.5±1.1^a	0.0406
Respiration rate, breaths/min	115.1±16.9^b	77.8±16.3^a	78.4±16.3^a	79.1±17.6^a	0.0001
Rectal temperature, °C	39.3±0.3^b	38.8±.03^a	39.0±0.3^a	39.0±0.4^a	0.0033

Control, free access to unchilled drinking water (22°C); FACW, free access to chilled drinking water (15°C); RACW, restricted access to chilled drinking water (15°C); RACW+SS, restricted access to chilled drinking water (15°C)+sound stimulus.

°Estimated from litter average daily gain and size (Noblet and Etienne, 1989).

^a,bMeans with different superscripts are significantly different in the same rows.

Table 3. Effects of chilled drinking water supplying methods on performance (mean±SD) of piglets.

	Supplying methods				P
	Control	FACW	RACW	RACW+SS
Litter size, piglets/litter
At day 1 post-partum^°	9.7±2.1	10.1±3.1	10.9±2.2	9.9±2.6	0.2833
At weaning	8.8±1.8	9.1±1.8	9.3±1.0	9.0±1.3	0.7734
Average birth weight, kg	1.7±0.2	1.6±0.2	1.7±0.3	1.6±0.2	0.6804
Average weaning weight, kg	5.8±1.0^b	6.5±0.4^a	6.4±0.7^a	6.3±0.6^a	0.0032
Average daily gain, g	199±45^b	233±21^a	227±34^a	223±24^a	0.0013

Control, free access to unchilled drinking water (22°C); FACW, free access to chilled drinking water (15°C); RACW, restricted access to chilled drinking water (15°C); RACW+SS, restricted access to chilled drinking water (15°C)+sound stimulus.

°After cross-fostering.

^a,bMeans with different superscripts are significantly different in the same rows.

Noblet J. Etienne M., 1989. Estimation of sow milk nutrient output. J. Anim. Sci. 67:3352-3359.

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