Effect of Increased Number of Pigs Weaned Compared to Pigs Born Alive on Sows’ Subsequent Reproductive Performance in Japanese Commercial Breeding Herds

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  • 日本の養豚農場における分娩時生存産子数より増加した離乳時子豚数が初産豚の次産次繁殖成績へ及ぼす影響
  • Effect of Increased Number of Pigs Weaned Compared to Pigs Born Alive on Sows^|^rsquo; Subsequent Reproductive Performance in Japanese Commercial Breeding Herds

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The use of a fostering technique is common in commercial breeding herds. Using a fostering technique makes it possible for the number of pigs weaned (PW) by a sow to be higher than the pigs born alive (PBA) to that sow at farrowing. The objective of the present study was to examine fertility measurements of the sows having more PW than PBA in Japanese breeding herds. The present study included 163,047 parity records of 60,790 sows and lifetime records of 22,711 sows that farrowed during 2007 and 2008 in 113 herds. Sows were categorized into two groups on the basis of the difference between PBA and PW : namely Increased-PW (PBA<PW) and Decreased-PW (PBAPW) groups. Two-level mixed-effects models were applied using a herd at level 2 and an individual record at level 1. Increased-PW sows in parity 1 accounted for 32.3% of all weaned sows, and for parity 2 or higher sows the proportion was 23.3%. Increased-PW sows had heavier adjusted 21-day litter weights than Decreased-PW sows (P<0.05). However, the Increased-PW sows had a longer weaning-to-first-mating interval, lower farrowing rates and fewer subsequent PBA than Decreased-PW sows in all parity groups (P<0.05). As PW increased from 4 to 15 pigs, the WMI of Increased-PW sows in parity 1 increased by 1.14 days, whereas those in parity 2 or higher increased by 0.50 days. Furthermore, Increased-PW sows that were categorized at parity 1 farrowing had lower retention rates at farrowing by parity 3 than parity 1 categorized Decreased-PW sows (P<0.05). However, there was no difference in the retention rates at farrowing in parity 3 between Increased-PW sows and Decreased-PW sows categorized at parity 2 farrowing (P=0.15). Increased-PW sows categorized at parity 1 or parity 2 farrowing had lower parity at removal and fewer average lifetime PBA than Decreased-PW sows (P<0.05). In conclusion, Increased-PW sows had better lactational performance, but had lower reproductive performance and lifetime performance than Decreased-PW sows. Therefore, it is not recommend that producers have parity 1 sows foster too many piglets.

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