Help your gilts and sows stand strong with Hy•D™

Lifetime productivity is a function of the sow’s genetic potential as well as her duration in the reproductive herd. Maintaining productive capacity over successive parities is fundamental to sow-herd profitability. The cost of gilt and sow development isn’t covered until their 3rd or 4th parity, and those that aren’t “paying for themselves” add costs to weaned pigs.

Industry experts encourage producers to measure sow productivity based on the number of pigs born alive or weaned throughout a sow’s lifetime. Fundamental to impacting these metrics is a producer’s ability to maintain optimum vitamin D levels in the breeding herd, which is essential for better bone health and ultimately reduced culling rates among first litter gilts and parity 1 sows. Hy•D™ can help animals maintain their structural soundness, resulting in greater longevity and lifetime productivity.

Longevity in the sow herd leads to increased productivity and profitability, and this starts with gilt development. Feeding Hy•D™ during gestation and lactation reduces the need for farrowing interventions and the frequency of post-farrowing complications. In addition, feeding Hy•D™ over two reproductive cycles results in heavier pig weights at birth and weaning.³

When added to the normal levels of vitamin D, Hy•D™ reduced the incidence and severity of osteochrondrosis (bone) lesions and improved gilt selection rates, based on mobility and structural soundness scores compared to vitamin D alone^.1,2

When vitamin D is fed in the diet, it must go through two changes before it reaches the form that can be utilized by the animal. Inefficiencies in the first process reduce the effective amount of vitamin D available to the animal.

Feeding Hy•D™ allows the first stage to be skipped, ensuring optimal levels for utilization compared to traditional vitamin D coming from sunlight exposure, feed ingredients or vitamin D3 supplementation.