Bonus Tydskrif SPRING SUMMER 2024 FINAL

size, and/or recovery growth from the previous lactation. During lactation, the Should you require more information relating to Sow feeding in early gestation please contact your De Heus Technical Specialist - https://www.deheus.co.za/meet-our-team/ www.deheus.co.za | 031 785 1575 | infosa@deheus.com Figure 4: Factors determining the nutritional requirements during different stages of sow production. requirements are those for maintenance and milk yield. Knowing the real feed intake is essential so that the density of the diet can be designed to match the feed intake to meet the requirements of the sow. Feeding to requirements Knowing what the nutrient requirements are, we can determine if these can be met with the feed available and feed management. The nutrient content of the feed and its intake will determine if the nutrient requirements can be met. It is important to know the actual feed intake that the sow can achieve as this may be lower than the amount of feed being allocated. During gestation, sows will usually have no difficulty in consuming the allocation of feed given to them as it is quite a small amount. However, it may be more challenging for lactating sows to eat the required feed allocation. Once we have all the information on the variables that affect the sow, feed density, and feed intake, we can begin to manage and optimise the performance of the sow through the different production phases, weaning- to-oestrus interval, gestation, transition, and lactation. Each phase has its challenges regarding nutrition and management. These production phases will be discussed in more detail in the next articles in this series. Spring/Summer 2024 BONUS www.agribonus.co.za 34