Folic Acid Supplementation Can Improve Reproductive Performance of Sows Abstract Folic Acid Supplementation Can Improve the Reproductive Performance of Sows. In recent years, many producers are weaning pigs earlier and following intensive production schedules in an effort to increase reproductive efficiency. These management practices can place high biological demands on today's sows. Obviously, a proper nutrition of the sow becomes an integral part of the management system in maximizing reproductive efficiency and profitability of swine enterprises.
Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, and it can be produced by bacteria in the intestine.
Until recently, the folic acid content of practical diets and bacterial synthesis were believed to be adequate to meet the pig's requirement. Since the early 1980s, however, there have been several reports indicating that folic acid supplementation can have beneficial effects on the reproductive efficiency of swine. As a part of the Southern Regional sow project, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of folic acid supplementation on the reproductive performance of sows. Sixty-six crossbred gilts and multiparous sows were assigned to dietary treatments based on breeding weight, parity and ancestry at least 21 days before breeding, and remained on their respective treatments continuously throughout gestation and lactation for three reproductive cycles. Females were allowed ad libitum access to feed during lactation.