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Endocrine Changes During Group Housing of Primiparous Sows in Early Pregnancy

Hormonella förändrιngar i samband med grupperιng av ungsuggor under tidig dräktιghet

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 37, pages 481–490 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

The effect of group housing sows during early pregnancy on maternal endocrine changes and on embryonic survival was studied. Twenty crossbred (Swedish Yorkshire×Swedish Landrace) primiparous sows were used. On day 11 ± 1 of pregnancy 3 unacquainted sows were randomly assigned to a single pen measuring 3m×3m in area. A fourth sow in each group was housed in an individual pen and used as a control. This procedure was repeated 5 times to collect data from 5 animals in each rank as well as in a control group. Blood samples were collected from the day before grouping to day 5 after grouping for Cortisol, corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), progesterone (P4), oestradiol-17β (E2) and prostaglandin F2α metabolite (PG-metabolite) analysis. A rank-order test and an ACTH test were performed on day 4 and day 5 of grouping respectively. The sows were slaughtered on day 17 ± 1 of pregnancy and embryos recovered. Aggression accompanied by elevations (p<0.05) in Cortisol concentrations occurred in all grouped sows on the first day of grouping. The Cortisol increase was greater (p<0.01) in the subordinate than in the other ranked sows. Cortisol concentrations and the level of aggression decreased on subsequent days during grouping, but the Cortisol levels were still higher than on the pre-grouping day except for the intermediate ranked sows. Cortisol concentrations after the ACTH test were similar in the grouped as well as the control sows. The dominance hierarchy was confirmed during the rank order test. Concentrations of P4, E2, PG-metabolite and CBG were similar between the group-housed sows and with the controls. Mean embryonic recovery was 66.8% ± 11.5%, 71.3% ± 6.0%, 70.0% ± 16.0%, and 69.9% ± 5.8% for the dominant, intermediate, subordinate, and control sows respectively. Hence, group housing during early pregnancy did not influence reproductive hormones or embryonic survival.

Sammendrag

Effekten av grupperιng under tιdιg dräktιghet av ungsuggor har studerats med avseende på maternella hormonella förändrιngar och fosteröverlevnad hos tjugo ungsuggor av korsnιngsras (Svensk Yorkshιre ×Svensk Lantras). På dag 11 ± 1 ι dräktιgheten sammanfördes 3 stycken slumpmässιgt utvalda suggor, som 1nte tιdιgare gått tιllsammans, ι en gemensam box (3m×3m) medan en fjärde sugga placerades ι en egen box och fungerade som kontrolldjur. Detta upprepades 5 gånger. Blodprover samlades med början dagen före grupperιngen och pågιck tιll dag 5 efter grupperιngen och analyserades med avseende på kortisol, kortιkosteroιd-bιndande globulιn (CBG), progesteron (P4), östradιol-17β (E2) och prostaglandιn F2α metabohten (PG-metaboht). En rangordnιngstest och en ACTH test utfördes på dag 4 respektive dag 5 efter grupperιngen. Suggorna slaktades på dag 17 ± 1 av dräktιgheten och fostren samlades upp. Aggressιoner åtföljd av kortιsolstegnngar (p<0,05) förekom hos samtlιga grupperade suggor första grupperingsdagen. Kortιsolstegringarna var högst (p<0,01) hos de lägst rankade suggorna. Kortιsol-koncentratιonerna och agressιonsnιvåerna minskade under de följande dagarna, men kortιsolnιvåerna var fortfarande högre än före grupperιngen hos samtliga suggor utom hos de mellanrankade suggorna. Kortιsolkoncentratιonerna efter ACTH testen var lιka hos de grupperade suggorna och kontroll-suggorna Rangordnιngen, som fastställts gruppe-nngsdagen bekräftades vιd rangordnιngstesten. Koncentratιonerna av P4, E2, PG-metaboliten och CBG var lιka hos de grupperade suggorna och kontroll-suggorna. Medelprocenttalen återfunna foster ι relatιon tιll antalet gula kroppar var 66,8 ± 11,5, 71,3 ± 6,0, 70,0 ± 16,0 och 69,9 ± 5,8 hos de högst, mellan och lägst rankade suggorna respektιve hos kontrollsuggorna. Grupperιng av suggor under tιdig dräktιghet hade sålunda ιngen ιnverkan vare sιg på blodkoncentratιonerna av könshormoner eller fosteröverlevnad.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported financially by the Swedish Council for Forestry and Agricultural Research. Hormone analysis except PG-metabolite was performed at the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7079, S-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    V. T. Tsuma, S. Einarsson, H. Kindahl & T. Rojkittikhun

  2. Department of Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    A. Madej

  3. Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    N. Lundeheim

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  1. V. T. Tsuma
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  2. S. Einarsson
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  3. A. Madej
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  4. H. Kindahl
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  5. N. Lundeheim
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  6. T. Rojkittikhun
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Correspondence to S. Einarsson.

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Tsuma, V.T., Einarsson, S., Madej, A. et al. Endocrine Changes During Group Housing of Primiparous Sows in Early Pregnancy. Acta Vet Scand 37, 481–490 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548088

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147