Dissemination of research-based knowledge on farm animals’ nutrition, health and welfare is an important job for Aarhus University (AU). Recently, two researchers from Department of Animal Science, AU, have contributed to a new book publication in English entitled The suckling and weaned piglet which focuses on a wide range of the challenges related to management of suckling and weaned piglets.

The book addresses students of agrobiology, veterinary students, agricultural apprentices and others interested in agriculture and animal production. “It is important that the teaching of future pig producers and consultants uses AU’s extensive research within the pig’s nutrition, health and welfare. This book pinpoints the two biggest challenges in pig production: the suckling piglet and the newly weaned piglet. I am happy that two of AU’s animal welfare researchers have contributed to this book,” says Professor Jan Tind Sørensen, Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University.

The book covers many relevant subjects and issues

The content of the book covers a wide field, for example subjects like the newborn piglet’s biology and immune system, risk factors related to survival, the piglets’ growth the first days, challenges related to hyperprolific sows and large litters. Furthermore, the book also covers consequences of management interventions like for example tooth resection and castration, feeding and gut development.

Senior researcher Mette S. Herskin, Department of Animal Science, , has contributed to the chapter Husbandry interventions in suckling piglets, painful consequences and mitigation. She says: “Our knowledge on pain in pigs and our possibilities to alleviate pain in pigs under production conditions lag behind the way example dogs or cats are treated after the same interventions. This applies for all ages in pigs, including the young ones, covered by this book. Therefore, I am very happy to have had the opportunity to contribute to the chapter on painful interventions, thereby drawing attention to the pig – also the very young pig – in this area. At Department of Animal Science, we have worked at lot within this field. In this way, the results from Danish research also come into play internationally.”

Professor Lene Juul Pedersen, Department of Animal Science, has contributed to the chapter Managing the litter from hyperprolific sows. She says: “In recent decades, many breeding companies have focused on increasing the litter size in sows. This means that today, the number of piglets a sow must rear is far higher than 10-15 years ago. This is a management challenge, especially   regarding the weakest piglets and the sows in order to limit mortality and negative consequences for animal welfare. Such targeted interventions aiming to save newborn piglets and ensuring animal welfare has been – and is still – a focus area of research at our department.  In order to disseminate the research-based knowledge about effects of the different methods and consequences for welfare, I have been delighted to contribute to the chapter ‘Managing the litter from hyperprolific sows’.”

More information

The book is published by Wageningen Academic Publishers and is accessible via this link: https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/book/10.3920/978-90-8686-894-0. Several chapters in the book are “open access”, meaning that you can download them for free.