Piglet losses in pig farming remain a concern and need to be addressed through the implementation of new sustainable breeding and management strategies. Indeed, piglets are particularly vulnerable in the first days of life. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on piglet responses during adaptation to life outside the uterus, which is particularly important for improving the vitality of newborn piglets and animal welfare in pig production in various farming systems.

Dystocia in swine is a risky condition that causes stress and pain to sows and piglets. This study investigated factors affecting dystocia in induced farrowings, thereby providing more knowledge into this underestimated issue. Results showed that dystocia is common in swine; relative birth order, birth weight, and stillbirth were the most significant risk factors for dystocia. These data suggested that last one-third of farrowing process is most important stage to be supervised.

Tibetan pigs are well adapted to high-altitude environments with a set of physiological features for more efficient blood flow for oxygen delivery under hypobaric hypoxia. We established the anatomy, physiology and molecular characteristics of the lung adaptive intelligence. Our finding suggest that the lung genetic mechanism of hypoxic adaptation in Tibetan pigs is valuable to understand.

The present study evaluated bone mineralisation (in terms of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC)) and body composition traits using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry three times during growth in entire boars (EB), immunocastrated boars (IB), and surgically castrated boars (SB). Nine body regions were analysed for bone mineral traits and compared for the sex types. Significant differences were found regarding BMD among EB, IB, and SB and regarding different body regions.