Effects of neoprene mat on diarrhea, mortality and foreleg abrasion of pre-weaning piglets.

Modern commercial swine farrowing crates are typically equipped with slatted iron floor to improve management efficiency (e.g., ease of manure handling, cleanliness of the farrowing crates and hence improved animal hygiene). However, the bare and hard floor surface can impair the welfare of the sow-litter because of some undesirable impacts on the pigs, such as foreleg abrasion, large temperature gradients between the cold floor surface and the abdomen of the piglets (hence higher susceptibility to diarrhea), and higher pre-weaning mortality or morbidity. Although straw bedding has been shown to be conducive to providing better environment for the sow-litter, use of straw creates challenges in terms of economics, hygiene and manure handling. This study investigates the use of neoprene mat (NM) in key areas of the farrowing crates - underneath the sow and in the piglet suckling area to improve the microenvironment and hence welfare of the sow-litter. Two experiments were conducted, each involving 12 sow-litters. The first experiment was to evaluate the thickness of a rectangular-shaped NM (7, 10 or 13 mm) vs. the slatted iron floor (control or Ctrl) and collect the corresponding animal response data; while the second follow-up experiment was to verify the benefits of supplying an improved, double concave (or H)-shaped NM with 10mm thick (CNM10) vs. Ctrl for the farrowing operation. Results of both experiments demonstrated considerable benefits of the NM placement in the farrowing crates. Specifically, the NM reduced the piglet foreleg lesion area and joint swellings (0% for NM vs. 8-10% for Ctrl during suckling periods in both Expts 1 and 2, P<0.001); reduced pre-weaning piglet crushing mortality (18.5+/-5.0%, 6.7+/-3.3% and 9.1+/-5.2% and for Ctrl, NM7 and NM10 and in Expt 1, P<0.05); and reduced piglet diarrhea morbidity (0.6+/-0.2% for CNM10 vs. 2.7+/-0.3% for Ctrl in Expt 2, P<0.01). Piglets in the NM litters had smaller temperature gradients between the abdomen and the contact floor surface (3.8+/-2.3 degrees C for NM vs. 7.6+/-0.5 degrees C for Ctrl in Expt 1, P<0.001; 9.2+/-0.5 degrees C for CNM10 vs. 15.9+/-0.5 degrees C for Ctrl in Expt 2, P<0.001). Moreover, sows in the NM regimens showed longer transition time when changing from standing to lying position (7.4+/-0.3s for CNM10 vs. 4.5+/-0.2s for Ctrl in Expt 2, P<0.05), indicative of more floor comfort for the NM condition. Results of this study suggest that supply of NM underneath the sow and in the piglet suckling area is conducive to enhancing comfort, health and welfare of the sow and litter.