20.500.12556/DKUM-96048 Factors affecting the effectiveness of litter management practices: an overview In terms of selection, pig farmers have aimed to maximize profitability for decades by increasing litter sizes through choosing gilts with seven or more pairs of teats. This has resulted in sows with numerically large litters, an increase in within-litter birth weight variation, and more piglets with a low birth weight. For newborns, the amount of colostrum consumed within the first 24 h after birth is particularly important for thermoregulation, passive immunity and adequate growth during lactation. The colostrum must be consumed early, for at least the first 6 h after birth. Only after consuming the mother’s colostrum, i.e., within 24 to 48 h after birth, is performing cross-fostering (CF) recommended, whereby light piglets are placed with another sow. Alternatively, farmers can choose a one- or two-step CF technique with nurse sows. If there are surplus piglets and substitute mothers are not available, the option of artificially rearing the piglets with liquid (milk replacer) and, later, solid feed remains, which is nevertheless a suboptimal method compared to CF. One way or another, all breeder interventions and different management strategies for large litters are associated with reduced piglet welfare. piglet sow low birth weight fostering well-being true true true Angleški jezik Angleški jezik Znanstveno delo 2025-11-27 03:13:28 2025-12-17 14:05:33 2025-12-18 03:12:18 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 str. 1-20 Iss. 23, [article no.] 2426 Vol. 15 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2025-11-18 2025-11-20 2025-11-25 636.4 258730499 10.3390/agriculture15232426 2077-0472 https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/23/2426 1 aa7602ea-cb36-11f0-97c8-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=200911 RAZ_Skorjanc_Dejan_2025.pdf RAZ_Skorjanc_Dejan_2025.pdf 1 CEE3E35E9B2950778DDF570DE0374C82 8f64032aea31df6b6c968e1666e7aaa69f0dc1ab7ee6fd9e230d39e2c211030f d92eb15b-db48-11f0-a226-00155d580e02 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=201508 Fakulteta za kmetijstvo in biosistemske vede 0 0 0