Blood variables and body weight gain on the first day of life in crossbred pigs and importance for survival

Improving survival is a continuous objective in swine breeding. The aim of this study was to record 22 blood variables and BW gain on the first day of life in Landrace-Yorkshire-Duroc crossbred piglets and to find associations between these variables and survival at weaning. All live piglets from 18 litters were weighed and blood sampled at birth and on d 1 and were monitored to weaning at the age of 5 wk. A total of 261 piglets were born, of which 8.8% were stillborn. Additionally, 15.1% died before weaning. The blood variables glucose, immunoglobulins, and white blood cells increased from birth to d 1 (P < 0.001), whereas α(1)- and β(1)-globulin, red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit decreased (P < 0.001). At birth, concentrations of lactate (P = 0.004), pH (P = 0.007), red blood cells (P = 0.017), hemoglobin (P = 0.018), and hematocrit (P = 0.052) were associated with survival to weaning. Also, concentrations of lactate increased (P = 0.030) and pH decreased (P < 0.001) when piglets were born in the last third of a litter. On d 1, concentrations of glucose (P = 0.015), hemoglobin (P = 0.025), and BW gain (P = 0.001) were all decreased in piglets that did not survive to weaning. Body weight gain also decreased (P = 0.005) when piglets were born in the last third of a litter. Concentrations of IgG on d 1 was not associated with survival at weaning (P = 0.230) but decreased (P < 0.001) when piglets were born in the last third of a litter. We conclude that several blood variables recorded at birth and on d 1 and BW gain on d 1 were highly associated with survival at weaning and that piglets born in the last third of the litter had less favorable vitality.