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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.
The average piglet weaning age in the United States declined from 28.8 days to 19.3 days between 1990 and 2000, according to USDA figures. Early weaning allowed the production of healthier, more uniform pigs and improved lifetime productivity of the sows by allowing a herd to market more pigs per year.
However, according to PigCHAMP summaries, weaning age has been creeping up for the last five years. This is in an effort to optimize overall reproductive efficiency. Maximum throughput...
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The use of artificial insemination (AI) on U.S. swine farms continues to increase and in the future, practically all commercial swine producers will employ this technology. To remain efficient, however, swine AI programs will necessitate management and nutritional strategies for enhancing semen production and fertility in boars. Several research groups have conducted studies to investigate the effects of supplemental selenium on reproductive characteristics of boars (Segerson et al....
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Absolute Swine Insemination Co., LLC (ASIC), a worldwide leader in swine intra-uterine insemination (IUI) technology, introduces Ibersan do Brasil as its new Brazilian distribution channel for the ASIC product line.
Ibersan do Brasil is a subsidiary of Ibersan Portugal and CCPA Groupe (France) . It started it's activities in 2008, and since then, it supplies Brazil's biggest players in swine market with...
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Crossbreeding is a widely accepted and recommended practice in commercial swine production. It is used to capitalize on heterosis, the superiority of crossbred individuals over the average of their purebred counterparts. An example of heterosis is shown in Figure 1. Crossbred performance may be more or less than the performance of the best purebred, depending on the breeds crossed. For there to be heterosis, crossbred performance must be above the average of the pure...
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A key recommendation from the gilt development strategy for the University of Alberta's Swine Research and Technology Centre was to breed gilts at 135 to 150 kg (298 to 331 lb) to reach at least 175 kg (386 lb) after farrowing.
Heavier gilts, is there a benefit? Sows usually mobilize tissue and lose some weight in lactation. But if too much weight is lost, performance will...
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Environmental temperatures above the zone of thermoneutrality (comfort zone) for swine are frequent in tropical and subtropical regions, and during the summer months in temperate regions. These warm environmental conditions do not usually result in death losses, but they can cause reduced growth performance in growing-finishing pigs and decreased reproduction in the breeding herd. Optimum temperatures for housed swine are shown in Table 1. In general, as the pig gets older and...
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What is the optimum length of time a boar should be in stud? The answer to this question depends on who is being asked the question. There are typically two conflicting perspectives: that of the boar stud and that of the semen customer, commercial pig producer. The objective of this study was to develop a decision-tool that determines the optimum length of time a boar should be utilized in an AI...
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Hypor is pleased to announce its participation in the NSERC EmbryoGENE Research Network, whose goal is to develop diagnostic tools for evaluating embryonic development in pigs and cattle. The Network is funded by a number of major and minor partners including the Canadian Federal Government, and is based in Canada. The acronym GENE stands for Genomics, Epigenetics, Nutrition and Environment. Hypor is considered a major partner in the EmbryoGENE Research Network. The swine herd at...
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In examining data from a large database (Pig Champ® and Pig Champ, Inc., 2007) Dr. Flowers concluded that females are most likely to leave the herd during entry to first service and weaning-to-service after their first lactation. The situation with boars is somewhat different. Most boars in North America are replaced at 12-18 months after they enter production (Knox et al 2007). This relatively short usage period is related to the need to maximize genetic improvement and typically is...
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In general, as total litter size has increased, there has been a tendency for an increase in the percentage of piglets born dead. It is now quite common to see an average stillbirth rate of 1.0 piglets per litter, or even more, in data from individual farms and herd recording schemes. This presents an opportunity to improve Weaning Capacity by reducing the level of stillbirths through a sound genetic program and good management procedures. The Hypor genetic program includes selection for...
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Optimising pellet processing to boost pellet quality and profitability
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The Absolute AMG™ Pipette trial was designed to test the effectiveness of Absolute Swine Insemination Co.’s (ASIC) AMG™ insemination pipette against the use of the current USA standard; Primatech’s traditional inseminating rod manufactured by Ray Chen of Ennchih (Taiwan). Unlike conventional rods that deposit semen into the cervix, the AMG™ pipette extends through the cervix and deposits semen directly into the uterus. Materials &...
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Sixteen gilts were used to study the effect of Vitamin E supplementation on the onset of puberty, the duration and the degree of expression of the oestrous cycle in gilts. There was no variation (P>0.05) on the time of attainment of first oestrus following supplementation. The duration of oestrus was also not significantly different (P>0.05) in the experimental groups with an average of 21 days in all the groups. Vocalization and restlessness of the sows, swelling and redness of the vulva were...
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Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is a small, circular, single-stranded DNA virus that affects pigs worldwide and is economically important to the swine industry. Within the past 3 years, North America has seen a marked increase and wide dissemination of PCV2-associated disease (PCVAD) that has resulted in devastating production losses. The rapid spread of PCVAD raised important questions about transmission of PCV2 amongst swine populations and regions. To date, transmission of PCV2 is not well...
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There are currently two methods for artificial insemination: bull semen can be frozen to a temperature of -172 °C and may be stored indefinitely. However, pig semen must be diluted and stored liquid, and the storage capacity is only a few days. The window of opportunity for insemination is also limited. Striking the period when the sow is receptive is difficult and farmers need to inspect the animals regularly. Storage Achieving...
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An exciting and growing body of scientific evidence supports the notion that the maternal environment in which fetuses develop plays a profound role in the development of the reproductive and other physiologic systems. Fetal programming refers to the process by which an acute or chronic stimulus in utero (i.e., in the uterus) establishes a permanent response in the fetus that impacts physiologic function later in life. The concept of fetal programming in swine is illustrated by an...
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Neonatal mortality in pigs is a major welfare and economic concern. It is one of the issues being tackled by Welfare Quality®. Farmers suffer an average of 20% mortality per litter of piglets, which represents both a significant animal welfare issue and economic loss to the farmer. On average, neonatal mortality can cost farmers 2.56 piglets per litter twice per year. With current prices a farmer with a herd of 250 sows could lose more than €50,000 per year due to early piglet deaths. However,...
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The elevated environmental temperature and humidity associated with summers in Virginia can severely affect swine reproduction. Breeding operations often experience a "summer slump" during which reproductive efficiency is greatly decreased. The adverse effects of "heat stress" are manifested in both the male and female. In this Livestock Update, I'll focus on the deleterious effects of elevated temperature on reproduction in boars and interventional management practices....
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Hypor’s growth in Latin America was recently strengthened with the formal creation of Hypor Mexico on July 23, 2008. The new company, Hypor Mexico S. de R.L de C.V , is owned by Hypor B.V. (99%) and Hendrix Genetics (1%). The newly created company will spearhead the distribution of Hypor’s genetics into the growing Mexican market. Hypor entered the Mexican market in 2002. It currently has two dealerships in Mexico: Reproducción Porcina de Occidente (for the central western part of the...
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A total of 239 sows (PIC C-22) were used in this experiment. Sows were randomly allotted to one of the two experimental treatments approximately 5 days before their expected farrowing date. Control sows did not receive any topdress; sows on the WEANMOR+® treatment received a single daily topdress of 25 g of WEANMOR+®. Topdressing the sow feed with WEANMOR+® reduced (P 0.67)....
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JSR Genetics' 19th Technical Conference, entitled '50 Years of Excellence in Breeding', which takes place on 16th September 2008, will bring together influential industry thinkers of the present - and future. JSR's Dr Grant Walling will give the keynote address whilst Dr Huw Jones of Genesis Faraday will tackle the topical subject of carbon emissions. Professor Dianna Bowles will present her paper 'Bioscience: the science of the 21st century' followed by Rob Cumine, former M&S...
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