Impact of parity and housing conditions on concentration of immunoglobulin G in sow colostrum

Colostrum is crucial for the survival and growth of suckling piglets. However, both the quantity and quality of colostrum are highly variable among sows. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of sow parity number and housing conditions on concentration of immunoglobulin G in sow colostrum. A total of 358 colostrum samples were collected from two commercial swine herds in Thailand. The colostrum samples were collected from all teats at 1 and 6 h after the onset of farrowing and kept at − 20 °C until analysis. The concentration of IgG was determined using ELISA. The concentration of IgG in colostrum at 1 h after the onset of farrowing was greater than the concentration of IgG at 6 h after the onset of farrowing (P < 0.001). Moreover, herd A had a greater colostral IgG concentration than herd B (P < 0.001). The concentration of IgG in primiparous sows (64.0 mg/ml) was lower than that in sow parity numbers 3 (75.1 mg/ml, P = 0.05) and 6 (79.2 mg/ml, P = 0.04). In conclusion, the variation in colostral immunoglobulin concentration in the sow colostrum was influenced by their parity number and housing conditions. The concentration of IgG declined significantly within 6 h after the onset of farrowing (P < 0.001).