Table 5.

Effect of incremental dietary energy density during late gestation and lactation on the number of piglets born, subsequent sow litter size, litter weight at birth, and individual piglet birth weight

Dietary treatment	LL	L	H	HH
MJ DE/kg	13.8	14.5	15.2	15.9	SEM	P-value1
Number of sows	25	25	25	25
Litter size, number
Total born2	16.0	14.8	15.2	14.6	0.65	0.43
Live born	15.3	13.9	14.3	13.5	0.61	0.25
Subsequent litter size, number
Total born	16.2	15.7	16.8	15.8	0.72	0.70
Live born	14.5	14.2	14.6	14.6	0.72	0.97
Litter weight, kg
Total born3	22.4	20.5	21.2	19.7	0.92	0.21
Live born	21.7	19.5	20.2	18.7	0.88	0.12
Mean piglet birth weight, kg1
Total born3	1.42	1.38	1.39	1.34	0.041	0.48
Live born	1.44	1.40	1.41	1.36	0.040	0.53

¹Treatements with different superscript letters within a row are considered significantly different at P < 0.05 and as tendencies at P > 0.05 but less than P < 0.10. Sow litter size (total and live born) was used as a covariate for the analysis of individual piglet birth weight (total and live).

²Total number born = number of piglets born alive, stillborn, and mummified.

³Total litter weight and individual piglet birth weight = weight of piglets born alive and stillborn. Mummified piglets were not weighed.