RESEARCH


There is so much more to know about sows


Defining, collecting and analysing farm data can present endless opportunities. Not only does it help to gain insight into how to improve farm management – it also helps to see correlations that otherwise would remain uncovered. Which are the quantities to really look out for?


By Prof Yuzo Koketsu, Meiji University, Japan C 6


ommonly, the number of pigs weaned per sow per year (PWSY) is used as a benchmarking measure- ment to compare the productivity of breeding herds amongst each other. Usually, one component of PWSY receiving a lot of focus is the number of


pigs weaned, another is the number of litters per sow per year. As this article will show, three other components deserve atten- tion as well in this respect: the number of pigs born alive (PBA), preweaning mortality, and non-productive days (NPD) of female pigs. Assuming 30 PWSY in an example herd (Figure 1), one NPD equates 0.08 PWSY.


Non-productive days The NPD include the weaning-to-first-mating interval, reservice interval and removal interval. Farrowing failure increases the reservice interval or removal interval and NPD. Removal includes culling, death and euthanasia.


Farrowing rate Low or high parity sows have a low farrowing rate. For example, the highest farrowing rate is in parity 2 which is at least 5% high- er than parity 0. Additionally, increased outside temperatures decrease the farrowing rate. The impact of the summer effect or outdoor temperature on reproductive performance of sows varies depending on parity number. For example, parity 1 sow


PIG PROGRESS VOLUME 32, No. 6,2016 Data analysis is important for each sow and each farm.


farrowing rate drops by 10%, when the temperature increased from 20 to 30°C (Figure 2). In sows in parity 0 and 2 or higher, the decrease is 2-7%. A research team at Meiji University, Japan, used 21-day


Figure 1 - Example of a productivity tree for 30 pigs weaned per sow per year.


30 pigs weaned/sow/year 13.0 pigs weaned per sow 2.3 litters/sow/year


28 day lactation length 115 day gestation length


15.3 pigs born alive (PBA)


15% preweaning mortality


17.3 total pigs born 1.5 stillbirths 0.5 mummies


33 non-productive sow days (NPD) 14 day wean-to-mating interval


12 day removal interval 7 day reservice interval


PHOTO: CENTRO EXPERIMENTAL PORCINO


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