The effect of parity on haemoglobin levels in sows prior to farrowing and in 1-day-old piglets

A decreased haemoglobin level in piglets is associated with a decreased survival rate (Rootwelt et al. 2012). While haemoglobin levels have been studied in piglets, few studies have focused on sows. In sows, low iron levels were associated with reduced reproductive performance (Buffler et al. 2017). Haemoglobin levels in sows decrease with increasing parities (Gannon et al. 2011a). It has been suggested that the body haemoglobin reserves cannot be restored between parities (Auvigne et al. 2010). In this study it was hypothesised that with an increasing parity, both the sow haemoglobin and the piglet haemoglobin decrease.