OPTIMAL DIETARY PROTEIN FOR SOWS DURING GESTATION AND TRANSITION

The PhD study is mainly funded through the projects "Reduced dietary protein improves the farrowing and colostrum yield of sows and survival of piglets" [In Danish: Reduceret protein i foder skal forbedre sers faring og rmaelksydelse og grisenes overlevelse (FarVel Protein)] and "Optimized nutrition of gestating sows benefits climate and reduces feed usage" [In Danish: Klimaforbedringer og foderbesparelser ved optimeret fodring af draegtige ser (NjSom)].Furthermore, an experiment completed in the project "Feed innovation with a climate effect" [In Danish: Fodertiltag med Klimaeffekt] was included in the PhD study.All projects are funded by the Danish Pig Levy Fund (Svineafgiftsfonden).This thesis aims to expand the current knowledge about sows' requirement for protein during the different stages of gestation and transition, to optimize gestating sows' reestablishment of body reserves and improve their reproductive and subsequent lactational performance.The thesis is divided into three main parts.The first part (section 1 and 2) provides a general introduction to the field of research and an elaborative literature review exploring the current knowledge on the research topic.In the second part (section 3, 4, and 5) the aims and hypotheses are stated, the applied methods are assessed, and the published papers are summarized and presented.The third part (section 6, 7, and 8) contains a general discussion of the papers, the overall conclusions, and perspectives on future research.AU Viborg,