Summer Balance

Although sows have a relatively large thermoneutral zone in which production and reproduction is not affected by temperature or humidity, the current farrowing house conditions as well as the increasing summer temperatures are responsible for important economic losses. The Active Thermo Control concept (ATC) offers support to hyperprolific sows to maintain their production and health during heat stress.

Introduction

Although sows have a relatively large thermoneutral zone in which production and reproduction is not affected by temperature or humidity, the current farrowing house conditions as well as the increasing summer temperatures are responsible for important economic losses. The Active Temp Control (ATC) concept offers support to hyperprolific sows to maintain their production and health during heat stress. 

Pigs, as most mammels, are not able to cool themselves down in an efficient way. Lactating sows are living constantly on the edge, even in cooler months. Sows are kept in farrowing houses designed to keep young piglets warm. On top, hyperprolificacy has increased metabolic heat production and newborn piglets need more attention as they are born smaller and more sensitive to hypothermia. When summer strikes with more extreme temperatures as in the past, heat stress situations in sows occur sooner and more severe.

The effects of heat stress becomes for most farmers clear when feed intake drops. A natural reaction to limit internal heat production. Not so visual, but as important, is the damage heat stress is causing in the intestines. The combination of these two effects, on one hand lower intake of nutrients and on the other hand less efficient uptake of nutrients in the bloodstream will affect the ongoing lactation and jeopardize the upcoming insemination and gestation.

The ATC concept focusses on good practices on farm- and nutritional level in order to limit the effects of heat stress. Proper management during heat stress will allow increased cooling of the sow. By choosing the correct nutritional strategies, metabolic heat production, electrolyte balance, feed intake, and gut protection can be optimized. Summer Balance, the sow supplement of Nuscience, exerts a dual action. An innovative direct action regulating feed intake to counteract a negative energy balance and an indirect action to protect the gut.

Main benefits of Summer Balance

  • Higher feed intake.
  • Higher litter weight.
  • Higher milk production.
  • Higher farrowing rate.
  • Reduced weight loss.
  • Increased liveborn.

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Summer Balance is one of the products within the Active Temp Control (ATC) concept. This newly developed concept combines not only heat stress management advice and nutritional expertise but contains also products concerning heat stress relief/control for pigs, poultry and ruminants.

For more information about this innovative concept, go to Active Temp Control (ATC)

 

 

Claims associated with products may be different based on government requirements.  Certain statements may also not be applicable in all regions.

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