Domestication is the process by which a population of animals becomes adapted to man and to the captive environment by genetic changes and environmentally induced developmental events recurring during each generation ( Cronin et al., 2014). Originally, domesticated livestock was mainly farmed extensively. The main impetus for more intensive animal production occurred after the Second World War when governments developed policies to provide sufficient, safe, and cheap food to the population. At the same time, farmers had to increase productivity to meet rising costs ( Niesten et al., 2003), and this could be achieved through intensive production. Improved animal nutrition, feed efficiency, health management, environmental control, reproduction management, genetic selection for better performance, and consistency of product quality and delivery to the marketplace have been the main objectives in the development of intensive livestock production. Since the 1960s, however, increased animal welfare concerns have been raised regarding intensive livestock production. In 1965, the Brambell Report in the UK commented adversely on the tethering of animals, overstocking and close confinement, the use of slatted flooring, and poor lighting and ventilation for animals ( Brambell, 1965). Since then, other welfare concerns have been raised, including the imposition of painful husbandry procedures (e.g., tail docking and castration), the restriction of natural behavior and the reduction in complexity of the animals’ environment ( Broom and Fraser, 2015).

A total of 240 pigs, 74 days old, half boars and half females, were included in a trial designed to assess the effect of the stress caused by changes in the pattern of food administration on the concentration of acute phase proteins (APP) and productive performance parameters. Half of the animals (pigs fed ad libitum, AL group) had free access to feed, while the rest were fed following a disorderly pattern (DIS group), in which animals had alternating periods of free access to feed and periods of no feeding, when food was removed from the feeder. The periods of free access to feed (two daily periods of 2-h duration) were randomly assigned, and varied from day to day. Total feed supplied per day was identical in both groups, and exceeded the minimal amount required for animals of these ages. Pen feed intake, individual body weights and the main positive pig APP pig major acute phase protein (Pig-MAP), haptoglobin, serum amyloid A (SAA), C-reactive protein (CRP), and the negative APP apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) and transtherytin were determined every 2 weeks during the period 76 to 116 days of age. Animals fed ad libitum had better average daily gain (ADG) than DIS animals in the whole experimental period (P < 0.01) but the differences in ADG were only produced in the two first experimental sub-periods (60 to 74 and 74 to 116 days of age), suggesting that the stress diminished when the animals get used to the DIS feeding. Interestingly differences in ADG between DIS and AL pigs were due to males, whereas no differences were observed between females. The same differences observed for ADG were found for APP. DIS males had higher Pig-MAP concentration than AL males at 74 and 116 days of age, lower ApoA-I concentration at 74 days of age and higher haptoglobin and CRP concentration at 116 days of age (P < 0.05). The results obtained in this trial show an inverse relationship between weight gain and APP levels, and suggest that APP may be biomarkers for the evaluation of distress and welfare in pigs.

The present work addresses the use of data in improving decision making and farm productivity, one of the aspects that has generated more interest in swine production in recent years. In the current review, the limitations of data management and recently developed strategies in this sector have been revised, together with the need for new technologies and their use in the evolution of the precision livestock farming concept. The importance of traditional animal-oriented data together with environment-oriented data are stressed.

Primiparous sows (PP) have higher nutrient requirements, fewer piglets born with lower birth weight and growth performance than multiparous sows (MP). The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of parity of sow (PP or MP) on the growth performance and humoral immune response of piglets. A total of 10 PP and 10 MP (3rd to 5th parity) sows were used. There were 4 treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with piglets from PP sows suckled by PP or MP sows, and piglets from MP sows suckled by PP or MP sows. Average daily gain (ADG) of piglets during the lactation period, and ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain:feed ratio (G:F) from weaning to 144 days of age were controlled, and concentrations of immunoglobulins G (IgG) and major acute phase protein (Pig-MAP) were measured as markers of humoral immune response throughout the study. Total ADG was higher in piglets born from MP than in those born from PP (669 vs. 605 g/day; standard error of the mean (SEM) = 15.5, n = 5; P = 0.001) and in piglets suckled by MP than in piglets suckled by PP (655 vs. 620 g/day; SEM = 15.5, n = 5, P = 0.037). Total ADFI was higher for pigs born from MP than for those born from PP (1592 vs. 1438 g/d, SEM = 42.2, n = 5, P < 0.001). Total G:F tended to be higher for pigs suckled by MP than for those suckled by PP (0.43 vs. 0.41, SEM = 0.006, n = 5, P = 0.076). At weaning, IgG serum concentration was higher (30.0 vs. 17.8 mg/mL, SEM = 4.98, n = 15, P = 0.013) in pigs suckled by MP than in piglets suckled by PP. However, IgG concentrations were higher for pigs born from PP than for pigs born from MP on days 116 (P < 0.001) and 144 (P = 0.088). Pig-MAP tended to be lower in pigs suckled by MP than in pigs suckled by PP on days 40 and 60 of age (P < 0.10). The research indicates that the growth performance and humoral immune response of the offspring of PP is improved by cross-fostering with MP. These results open the possibility of an interesting strategy for improving the growth of litters from PP, that is easier to apply than current programs based on parity segregation, which implies a separate building site to house gilts, first parity sows and their offspring.