Fifty nine primiparous sows PIC Camborough 23 were distributed in a completely randomized 2×2 (with and without floor
cooling×two dietary treatments) factorial design with 16 sows/treatment, each sow being considered as an experimental unit. Four
replicates of sixteen sows each were used during the trial with the objective of evaluating the effects of floor cooling and the use of
dietary amino acid contents on their performance and behaviour during summer. The sows were distributed among the treatments
according to body weight and backfat thickness after farrowing. The sows were maintained in the experiment until weaning at
21 days of lactation. The two experimental diets supplied the same levels of crude protein (22%), metabolizable energy (ME;
14.65 MJ/kg) and levels of essential digestible AA relative to digestive lysine and differed according to the digestible lysine to ME
ratio (0.75 vs. 0.82 g/MJ of ME). The temperature of the water circulating in the cooled floor was maintained at about 17 °C. Based
on the average minimum and maximum temperatures (21.5 and 29.5 °C) obtained during the experimental trial, it can be assumed
that the sows were exposed to periods of heat stress. The replicate and the interaction between replicate and treatment effects on all
the measurements were not significant. Similarly, no effect of diet or interaction between diet and floor cooling system was found
for all criteria measured. An effect (Pb0.05) of floor cooling on average daily feed intake was observed and floor cooling sows
showed a higher average (Pb0.05) digestible lysine (61.5 vs. 51.8 g/d) and ME (78.2 vs. 65.9 MJ/d) intakes. The sows submitted
to floor cooling showed, consistently, higher absolute values for average weight (+8.5 kg) and backfat (+0.75 mm) at weaning,
compared with the control sows. The sows submitted to the cooled floor showed a shorter (Pb0.01) weaning-to-oestrus interval.
The piglet and litter’s daily weight gain (DWG), average weight at weaning (AWW) and total weight gain during lactation (TWG)
were higher (Pb0.01) for the floor cooling sows. The floor cooling sows showed a higher (Pb0.01) daily milk production. The
respiratory rate and rectal temperature values were lower (Pb0.01) for the floor cooling sows. There were differences (Pb0.01) on
the cutaneous temperatures measured on the different parts of the sow’s body, with the animals submitted to the cooled floor having
lower values. The sows submitted to floor cooling spent less (Pb0.01) time in lateral recumbency inactive, more time nursing
(Pb0.05) and more time feeding (Pb0.01) compared with control sows. The floor cooling under the sows increased daily feed
intake and lysine intake, leading to a lower body weight loss, a lower weaning-to-oestrus interval and also improved nursing behaviour of the sows, leading to a higher milk production and, consequently, higher weight gains of piglets and litter during the lactation period.
Silva et al. (2009) Effect of floor cooling and dietary amino acids
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