Can piglet survival be predicted from birth weight?
Individual birth weight, especially when combined with within-litter birth-weight variation, helped identify piglets at higher risk of preweaning mortality.
Individual birth weight, especially when combined with within-litter birth-weight variation, helped identify piglets at higher risk of preweaning mortality.
Problem: Simple birth-time indicators are needed to identify piglets at elevated risk of preweaning mortality.
Methods: The authors analyzed 68,394 piglet records from 1,661 sows at two research farms using logistic regression and ROC analyses.
1. Individual birth weight was the studied factor with the strongest influence on survival.
2. A 1.18-kg cutoff identified low-birth-weight piglets with 0.73 accuracy, whereas an index combining weight and within-litter variation reached 0.89 accuracy.
3. Light piglets originating from litters with high birth-weight variability had the lowest survival probabilities.
Original publication
Mbuthia JM, Kasper C, Zenk M, Bee G, Metges CC, Das G. Predicting piglet survival until weaning using birth weight and within-litter birth weight variation as easily measured proxy predictors. Animal. 2025, 19(4):101479.