NEWS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2025 97 During gestation, the sow needs energy and nutrients for maintenance, growth and development of its own body, for recovery from the previous lactation period, for the development of the uterus and udder and for the growth and development of the fetuses. During lactation, the needs depend strongly on the colostrum and milk production, and therefore on the litter size and the length of the suckling period. During the suckling period, the sow also mobilizes body reserves to maintain milk production. The newly introduced sow model by Schothorst Feed Research (SFR) can be used by nutritionists to easily map the needs of pregnant and lactating sows. SFR points out that the model uses the factorial approach: based on litter number and condition development of the sow, feed composition and intake, litter size, weaning age, birth and weaning weight of the piglets, ambient temperature and whether or not straw is used, the model estimates the sow's ultimate requirements for net energy, SID lysine, available calcium and digestible phosphorus. The important thing about the SowModel is that the user can calculate two scenarios side by side: “This ensures that a nutritionist gains insight into changes in the nutritional needs of the sow at a glance, for example if the duration of the lactation period is adjusted,” says Jan Fledderus, Product Manager at SFR. Read more>> SFR introduces new tool to map needs of sows
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