Samenvatting

The number of weaned piglets per sow per year is an important parameter for the productivity of sows in pig production. This number depends on several parameters of which in many cases the sow has a central role. To improve the sow’s reproduction it is important to keep the sow’s body condition optimal. However, clear recommendations towards sow body condition and feeding levels, and knowledge about the exact influence on piglet vitality are scarce. Therefore research was carried out in order to investigate the exact influence of 3 parameters of sow body condition (body weight, backfat thickness and body condition score) on a number of piglet vitality parameters: average birth weight, litter size, stillbirth ratio, weight gain during lactation, and litter size and average weight at weaning.