Colostrum of Pigs

Pigs are born with a naive immune system.

The animal starts to become immunocompetent at day 70 of gestation. However owing to the design of the placenta, prior to birth there is no passive transfer of antibodies.

It is essential that newborn piglets have access to colostrum within 6 hours of birth.

	Split suckling If necessary, split suckling is advised in large litters or where one sow dies and it is required to provide colostrum to two litters. The piglet can consume 250g of colostrum in the first day, drinking every hour for 20 seconds.
What if I have insufficient colostrum? What are the basic components for colostrum – why should the piglet get mum’s colostrum

Composition of colostrum

Colostrum provides food and bioactive compounds and vitally important - a source of warmth.

Nutrient composition Per 100 ml	Colostrum	Milk	Bioactive compounds Per 100 ml	Colostrum	Milk
Total dry matter (g)	24.8	18.7	Serum albumin (g)	1.46	0.45
Total protein (g)	15.1	5.5	IgG (g)	8.9	0.1
Casein (g)	1.3	2.6	IgA (g)	2.0	0.6
Whey (g)	13.7	2.9	IgM (g)	0.85	0.15
Lactose (g)	3.4	5.3	Lactoferrin (mg)	120	40
Total fat (g)	5.9	7.6	ECF (μg)	157	19
Palmitic acid (g)	2.0	2.8	IGF-I (μg)	40	1
Palmitoleic acid (g)	0.3	0.6	IGF-II (μg)	29	2
Stearic acid (g)	0.4	0.5	Insulin (μg)	1.5	0.2
Oleic acid (g)	2.2	2.5	TGF-β1 (μg)	4.3	0.2
Linoleic acid (g)	0.7	0.8	TGF -β2 (μg)	2.0	0.4
Vit A (μg)	170	100	Neutrophils	+++
Vit D (μg)	1.5	0.9	Lymphocytes (memory T)	+++
Vit E (μg)	380	260	Lysozyme	+++
Vit K (μg)	9.5	9.2
Vit C (μg)	7.2	4.7	The immunogloblins provide the piglet with an immediate source of antibodies to fight a variety of diseases. The IgG is for the blood stream, the IgA covers the surface membranes. Note normal milk still contains a concentration of IgA. Lactoferrin is bactericidal through competition for iron – an important nutrient for enteric bacteria. IGF-β2 plays a role in controlling the intestines response to antigens Memory T cells play a major role in passing on immunity to the piglet
Total ash (g)	0.7	0.9
Calcium (mg)	71	184
Phosphorous (mg)	105	139
Potassium (mg)	113	82
Magnesium (mg)	8	10
Sodium (mg)	71	43

Some Factors affecting colostrum function/availability

Mother	Udder oedema Insufficient teats Damaged teats Mastitis	Nervousness Constipation Vaccine programme
Piglet	Draughts Chilling Hypothermia	Competition First to last born Splayleg/congenital tremor

Serum concentration in piglet

Piglets who have received sufficient colostrum will have a serum immunoglobulin concentration of > 10 mg/ml. (Normal around 25-35 mg/l.) If total protein used (via a refractometer), a total protein < 40 mg/l, implies intake insufficient. DAKO has an Elisa kit for IgG.

Note the mother has to receive the antigen (bug) to produce antibodies – note vaccine administration and storage and feed-back programmes