Minimum linoleic acid intake level should be targeted for 90-95% of sows.
Eric van Heugten, David Rosero, and R. Dean Boyd, North Carolina State University, The Hanor Company | Mar 04, 2021
We reported previously in
National Hog Farmer on a major milestone that was achieved with the discovery that two essential fatty acids (EFA) are deficient in lactation diets of sows experiencing moderate heat stress. These EFA, linoleic and α-linolenic acid, are directly involved in a variety of reproduction processes, and a deficiency results in poor return to estrus, low farrowing rate, and decreased litter size. Resolving seasonal anestrous depends on adequate intake of each EFA during lactation.