Alleviating peripartum oxidative stress and enhancing maternal behavior in loose-housed hyperprolific sows improves the farrowing process and piglet performance: effects of ferulic acid, probiotic mixture, or jute sacks

Sows with large litters often experience challenges, such as prolonged farrowing, higher neonatal mortality, and compromised maternal behavior, which have recently been linked to excessive oxidative stress. This study evaluated the effects of ferulic acid (FA) and probiotic mixture (PM) on oxidative stress reduction during the prepartum and lactation periods in hyperprolific (HP) sows and the jute sack (JS) provision on maternal instinct enhancement to assess their impact on the farrowing process, maternal behavior, immune status, and piglet performance. A total of 42 sows (Landrace × Yorkshire, n = 30, parity = 2.6 ± 1.3; Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc, n = 12, parity = 2.3 ± 1.3) housed in open crates were assigned to the following 4 treatment groups: control (CON; n = 11, basal diet), FA (n = 11, basal diet + 0.5 g/kg FA), PM (n = 9, basal diet + 2 g/kg PM), and JS (n = 11, basal diet, 70 × 100 cm JS). Sows receiving FA exhibited higher salivary Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity 7 d after farrowing (P = 0.002) than those of the CON. Both JS and PM groups demonstrated reduced tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations at 4 d prepartum and 7 and 28 d postpartum compared to the CON group (all P < 0.05). Nest-building (NB) was markedly increased in the JS group in both frequency (P = 0.021) and duration (P = 0.001), with FA and PM groups also showing elevated NB frequency (both P < 0.05) compared to CON. Farrowing duration and birth interval were shorter in the PM group than in CON (188 vs. 346 min, P = 0.022; 12.8 vs. 227 min, P = 0.058, respectively). Furthermore, the JS group exhibited elevated colostral immunoglobulin G levels (P = 0.013), while the PM group showed improved piglet colostrum intake (P = 0.032) and weight gain (P = 0.010). These findings highlight the potential of antioxidant supplementation (FA and PM) and behavioral enrichment (JS) to mitigate oxidative stress and improve farrowing outcomes, maternal behavior, and piglet performance in loose-housed HP sows. While each intervention demonstrated positive effects independently, future studies should explore their combined potential for synergistic benefits.