Spraddled leg started to appear as swine producers began to decrease feed allowances given sows during gestation from 2.7 to 3.2 kg (5.9 to 7.0 lbs) daily to 1.4 to 2.0 kg (3.1 to 4.4 lbs) (Cunha, 1977), which resulted in reduced intakes of both choline and methionine. Studies from Colombia, South America (J. H. Maner, personal communication to Cunha, 1977), revealed death losses due to spraddled legs. Some of these pigs recuperated by the tenth day after birth, which may indicate that the condition can be corrected through the sow's milk. Other reports have indicated that a high proportion of baby pigs affected by spraddled legs were able to recover after a few days, especially if the hindlegs are bound temporarily to allow them to move and suckle.
Research reports have shown that sows without choline had a significantly lower conception rate and farrowing rate and farrowed significantly fewer total pigs and fewer live pigs per litter. No difference was found in the average birth weight, but sows with choline supplementation weaned significantly more pigs per litter, and sows without choline farrowed a slightly higher percentage of pigs with spraddled legs. Pigs from choline-deficient sows were unthrifty in appearance and became increasingly so with age (Ensminger et al., 1947). Stockland and Blaylock (1974) reported that sows fed a diet unsupplemented with choline had significantly lower conception rates (57% versus 73%), lower farrowing rate (62% versus 78% bred sows), fewer total pigs per litter farrowed (9.3 versus 10.1) and fewer live pigs per litter at farrowing (8.0 versus 9.1) than sows that received diets containing 412 or 824 mg choline per kg ration.
The North Central Region-42 Committee on Swine Nutrition (1976) evaluated the effects of supplemental choline at 770 mg per kg (350 mg per lb) of diet during gestation and lactation on litter size at birth and at weaning. Nine stations participated in 22 trials on 551 sows. The diet was a 15% protein corn-soybean meal type during gestation, and 7.5% beet pulp was substituted for an equal amount of corn during lactation. Results indicated that sows fed supplemental choline farrowed more total pigs per litter (10.54 versus 9.89), live pigs per litter (9.33 versus 8.64) and weaned more pigs per litter (7.72 versus 7.29). Kornegay and Meacham (1973) evaluated the effect of adding choline to a fortified corn soybean meal gestation-lactation diet for sows. Sows fed 880 mg of supplemental choline per kg diet during breeding and gestation farrowed more live pigs than the sows without supplemental choline. The largest response of choline supplementation occurred during the fifth and sixth parities. Kornegay and Meacham (1973) saw no benefit of choline supplementation on number of pigs weaned.
