Piglet survival from birth to weaning: A narrative review of associated sow and piglet characteristics and environmental factors

Pre-weaning piglet mortality continues to pose a serious challenge to pig producers, with detrimental effects on animal health, welfare, performance, and overall farm success. This review examines the complex relationship between the sow and piglet characteristics and the environment that affects piglet pre-weaning survival. Due to the interrelated nature of the challenge, it is key to consider all factors when designing genetic selection and management programs. There are multiple parameters related to the sow, such as parity, body condition, maternal behavior, back-fat thickness, litter size, farrowing duration, nutritional and health status. Whereas for the piglet, the associated parameters to pre-weaning survival include birth weight and order, ability to access colostrum, sex, health, and disease resistance, blood glucose concentrations and body temperature. While large litters are a genetic option for economic gain, they are also associated with reduced survival rates attributed to higher variability in birth weight within a litter. The housing environment and management interventions contribute significantly to piglet survival rates. Because piglet survival is a complex multifactorial trait, this review highlights the necessity of an inclusive approach to combating piglet survival. Improving the survival of piglets through an integrated strategy of genetic selection, optimal environment, focused nutrition, and good management is a key to providing robust piglets that can grow and perform well throughout their lifetime. Overall, any piglet survival improvement that is to be sustainable requires the right balance of sow and piglet characteristics to optimise both production efficiency and animal welfare. Rather, the piglet survival is also important for the efficiency of production and the broader sustainable development goals (SDGs), including SDG 1: poverty reduction, SDG 2: food security, and SDG 12: responsible consumption and production.