Intermittent suckling influences the performance of pigs before and after weaning

The simultaneous and abrupt changes at weaning cause a growth check characterised by sub-optimal performance, marked changes to the gastrointestinal tract, and increased susceptibility to enteric diseases (Pluske et al., 1997). Intermittent suckling (IS) is a regimen in which the sow is removed from her piglets for a period of time each day before weaning. Previous studies have shown that IS reduces the postweaning growth check by stimulating feed intake in lactation (Kuller et al., 2004), but the impacts of duration and length of separation have not been fully evaluated. The hypothesis tested in this study was that piglets separated from their dam for eight hours per day for seven d in the week before weaning would perform better after weaning compared to piglets in conventional weaning regimens