![]() ![]() ![]() Also, the herd mean of PSY (± SEM) in the studied herds was 25.8 ± 0.24 ranging between 11.6 and 33.3. In the present study, mean herd size (± SEM) in the remaining 143 herds was 856 ± 61 sows with a range from 87 to 3669 sows between 20. However, 12 of the 155 herds were excluded from the study because they had no birthdates recorded. In July 2017, sow life and herd-life reproductive performance records of sows in 155 Spanish herds, which allowed their data to be used for research, were extracted from the database. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to characterize sow life days or herd-life days, prolificacy, fertility and reproductive efficiency of sows in breeding herds and examine two-way interactions between AFM and these two herd-level factors for sow lifetime performance.Ī veterinary consultancy firm (PigCHAMP pro Europa S.L., Segovia, Spain) requested all client producers to mail their PigCHAMP data files on a regular basis to build up a sow database for their veterinary services. However, there are no reports on interactions between such herd-level factors and AFM for sow life and herd-life reproductive performance. Also, herd size and PWSY are herd-level factors for sow reproductive performance. Īge of gilts at first-mating (AFM), which is commonly recorded by producers, is a measurement to predict sow reproductive performance, although recording age at first estrus and heat-no-service events are recommended as better measures. Also, high sow longevity can increase the profit per sow because lifetime piglets weaned by parity 3 or higher sows retrieve the initial cost of a replacement gilt. However, sows that are culled at low parity are not able to realize their latent potential life days. In fact, some producers cull low parity sows with fewer piglets born alive to maintain high herd productivity. So, culling a sow at low parity does not necessarily decrease reproductive efficiency measured as PSY. ![]() However, higher PSY is not directly associated with higher longevity measured as the mean parity of removed sows in ordinary conditions. Prolificacy is the herd-life numbers of piglets born alive, whereas fertility can be represented by herd-life nonproductive days which includes weaning-to-first-mating interval and re-service interval.Ī common benchmarking measurement to monitor reproductive efficiency within the herd or to compare productivity of different herds is the number of pigs weaned per sow per year (PSY). Using sow life days or herd-life days as a denominator, annualized piglets weaned can be used as an integrated measurement for reproductive efficiency of individual sows combining fertility, prolificacy and longevity. Longevity is commonly measured as the number of parity at removal, sow herd-life days or sow life days which are from the birth date to the removal date. Lifetime performance of sows can be measured as longevity, prolificacy, fertility and reproductive efficiency. We recommend decreasing the number of late AFM sows in the herd and also recommend improving longevity and lifetime efficiency of individual sows. Herds were categorized into two herd size groups and two productivity groups based on the respective 75th percentiles of farm means of herd size and the number of piglets weaned per sows per year: large (> 1017 sows) or small-to-mid herds ( 26.5 piglets) or ordinary herds ( 0.10). Sow life days is defined as the number of days from birth to removal, whereas the herd-life days is from AFM date to removal date. Data contained 146,140 sows in 143 Spanish herds. Our objectives were to characterize sow life and herd-life performance and examine two-way interactions between age at first-mating (AFM) and either herd size or herd productivity groups for the performance of sows. ![]()
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