Explore all the information on
Swine genetics and reproduction
The performance of pigs is the result of two influences: genetics and environment. Because the genetics of a pig plays an important role in its performance and meat quality, all pig producers should be familiar with the potential and application of genetic selection.
The genetic potential of pigs can have a major influence on the productivity and profitability of a pig enterprise. It is the combination of genetics, nutrition, health, environment and management that influences such factors as litter size, growth rates and carcass quality.
The reproductive herd is for the multiplication of maternal and paternal lines that are prized for economically valuable reproductive traits, or, traits that generate desirable offspring reliably. Typically, prized reproductive traits include litter size, particularly total number of pigs born, and pigs weaned, weight of the litter of piglets at birth and weaning, wean-to-estrus interval (WEI), and pigs per sow per year (PSY). In more recent years, length of time a sow remains productive in the herd (longevity or survivability) is increasing in priority for major genetic lines. These traits are prioritized due to the impact on value of the sow to the herd.
Kurt Wegleitner, Managing Director for Addcon, talks about Performance 2017. “Managing hyperprolific sows in Asia” was the motto of the Performance 2017 which took place on March 14th before VIV Asia 2017....
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are Orthomixoviruses able to infect many animal species including birds, pigs and humans [1]. The segmented genome of IAVs allows the exchange of gene segments between IAVs during infection and replication [2] facilitating the emergence of novel IAV reassortants with pandemic potential. The 2009 pandemic IAV contained genes from swine...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
.mp4&w=3840&q=75)
Introduction
In several countries, Piétrain boars are indispensable as a terminal commercial sire and constitute a large group of boars kept by the AI centers. Selection of these boars is mainly based on fattening performance and meat quality characteristics. However, the effects of a such narrowly focused selection on semen quality have been poorly investigated. The main objective of this study was to...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
In a sector aiming at standardizing the final product at the maximum, variability in pig weight at slaughter age is still one of the major issues in the swine industry nowadays. Why is pig weight variability important? – The world as a distribution and not an average Producers often talk in terms of weight average, treating a batch as if it was a single animal. Consequently, the batch...
Comments : 7
Recommendations: 0
Effect of Supplemental Dl-met Above Requirement on Performance and Serum Concentration of Amino Acids in Heat Stressed Pigs
Suggested link
Implications Knowledge on the economic impact of claw lesions and lameness helps to understand how both the diseases influence economic losses, and indicates how these problems should best be addressed. The fact that the prevalence of lameness varies throughout the reproductive cycle and peaks after sows were housed in the insemination stable is crucial for risk factor analysis. Furthermore, it implicates that focus on...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
If we want to maintain a prolific and productive herd, we must continue to prioritise the introduction of high genetic merit replacement gilts into our herd. Additionally we must manage and feed them correctly in order to maximise the prolificy of breeding herd and efficiency of feeding herd in the future.
The old adage “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it” is often bandied about in all...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction The reproductive output of pigs depends on many factors affecting both females and males. It is generally accepted that there is a large variation in the fertility results, mainly caused by farm- and sow-related parameters (Hanenberg et al., 2001). In southern Uruguay, seasonal variations in reproductive performance of swine herds are observed, with farrowing rate below 57% between November and February...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
I have been reading some really good research lately, but something about it bothers me. I do understand that a lot of sows are culled before Third Parity, and that this is a good place to start with Sow Longevity. For me personally, five or six parities should be the average for all sows that have farrowed at least once. Good Sow Longevity in my mind is Parity 7 or 8 or more! Are you able to get good Piglet Birth Weights with today’s...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
For class I had to summarize a paper by Dr. W.L Flowers titled “Trouble-shooting Fertility Problems”. From this summary I was to make a “Decision Tree” to help decide where Fertility Problems occur. I thought that it might be helpful to others. Please let me know if you would add anything to it, or even change it. I would love to hear from you as to its usefulness to you! For clarity of definitions: A “Regular Return to...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Efficient sow reproduction is fundamental to achieving a successful, sustainable and economically viable swine industry. The key criteria used to assess the efficiency of sow performance are the number of piglets weaned per litter, per year or per lifetime. The modern hyperprolific sow has a great potential to produce piglets and 30 piglets weaned per year is an achievable target. If performance is less than this, then action needs to be taken to identify those...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Under the teaching of Dr. William Flowers Ph.D this semester, I have learned about some new concepts in how to rear Replacement Gilts. Research shows that Replacement Gilts raised in litters of 7 or less will be more productive as sows over their first three parities. I would imagine even keeping the Replacement Gilt litters to 10 piglets or less will help the Replacement Gilts develop better than if their dam’s litter size is larger. What is the reason...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Pork CRC research into the performance and eating quality of entire male pigs and those immunised against gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), using Improvac™, has revealed that androstenone and skatole, the compounds linked to boar taint, were significantly higher in the belly fat of entire males than in immunised males.
...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
I have been using the drug PG 600 for 4 years regularly for induction of estrus and I am satisfied, but now a new product appears on the market (OVUCEL) at a much lower price. Since we only have 15 sows, I would like to gather as much information as I can before trying it. Composition and method of the Vademecum are practically the same, but the price is certainly not. Please, if you have experience with this, would you give me a piece of advice? Thank...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
1. Introduction Artificial insemination (AI) of swine is widely practiced in countries with intensive pig production. In Western Europe, more than 90% of the sows have been bred by AI for more than two decades (Gerrits et al., 2005; Vyt, 2007). When compared with natural mating, AI is a very useful tool to introduce superior genes into sow herds, with a minimal risk of disease (Maes et al., 2008). The outcome of AI...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Effect of Supplemental Dl-met Above Requirement on Performance and Serum Concentration of Amino Acids in Heat Stressed Pigs
Suggested link
1 PigCHAMP Pro Europa S.A. C/ Gremios Segovianos, 13. 40195 Segovia. Spain 2 IRTA. Finca Camps i Armet. 17121 Monells. Spain 3 Pfizer Salud Animal. Avda. de Europa, 20B. Parque Empresarial La Moraleja. 28108 Alcobendas (Madrid). Spain 4 NUTEGA. C/ Marconi, 9. 28823 Coslada (Madrid). Spain Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 2010 8(3), 599-606 Available online at www.inia.es/sjar ISSN:...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
I would like to hear from others their experiences with inducing sows to farrow. In the early 1990’s, while working as a “First-Week Farrowing Supervisor”, I was taught to induce sows to farrow. If I remember correctly, we used 1cc of Lutalyse. Our sows were supposed to have a natural gestation average of 114 days, and I would Lutalyse the sows on day 111 to farrow on day 112.
I was taught to inject the sow in her vulva, and I quickly learned to hit the middle of the flesh as the shot...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction
Improvest® (Pfizer Animal Health) is approved in a number of countries for immunological castration of male pigs. There is an increasing amount of research evaluating the growth performance and carcass characteristics of immunologically- compared to physically-castrated male pigs. However, there has been little if any research comparing the responses of these two genders during pre-harvest handling and...
Comments : 1
Recommendations: 0
Introduction
Due to decreased production costs and improved lean gain, raising entire male pigs (EM) is preferred. However, the presence of boar taint compounds in meat from EM raises consumer acceptability issues. Additionally, the conventional use of surgical castration to circumvent boar taint is under continuing scrutiny from animal welfare groups and consumers. Immunization against gonadotropin-releasing...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Abstract This report reviews the latest knowledge on boar semen diluents used in artificial insemination procedures. The requirements of an effective fresh semen diluent are discussed and currently available extenders are compared. Finally, we suggest directions to be taken in future research on this topic. A semen extender should be carefully selected according to its proposed use. For a...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
Introduction
The breeding objective for a swine nucleus selection program is to improve crossbred commercial performance. Most genetic improvement programs are based on an assumed relationship between purebred performance in a nucleus herd and their relatives' crossbred performance in a commercial herd. Since nucleus animals have fewer parities to shorten the generation interval and longevity is important at the commercial level, it is...
Comments : 0
Recommendations: 0
