Assessment of post-farrowing performance in sows having a high number of pigs born dead on commercial farms |
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| Authors: | Yuko Hoshino Yuzo Koketsu |
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| Institution: | aSchool of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kanagawa, 214-8571, Japan |
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| Abstract: | The objectives of the present study were to investigate the relationship between number of pigs born dead (PBD) and both post-farrowing performance and culling risk in sows, and to determine the repeatability of PBD within sow. The present study used 256,527 parity records of 51,907 sows on 110 commercial farms. Five groups for PBD were categorized: PBD 0, 1, 2, 3 and ≥ 4 pigs. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the data. Variance components analysis was separately conducted for three groups based on parity at culling. Mean value (± SEM) of PBD was 1.1 ± 0.01 pigs. Relative frequency of PBD 0, 1, 2, 3 and ≥ 4 pigs were 44.7, 24.8, 14.6, 7.5 and 8.4%, respectively. The relative frequency of PBD ≥ 4 pigs increased from 4.2 to 14.4% as parity increased from 2 to ≥ 6, whereas the frequency of PBD ≥ 4 pigs in parity 1 was 6.0%. Sows with PBD ≥ 4 pigs had 3.4% lower subsequent farrowing rate than those with PBD 0 pigs (P < 0.01). In parities ≥ 3, sows with PBD ≥ 4 pigs had fewer pigs born alive at subsequent parity than those with PBD 1 pigs (P < 0.01). However, in parities 1 and 2, no differences were found between the PBD groups in number of pigs born alive at subsequent parity. No difference was also found between the PBD groups in their subsequent weaning-to-first-mating interval. At each farrowed parity, culling risk for sows increased as PBD increased (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the values of the repeatability of PBD in sows culled in parities 2–5, 6–7 and ≥ 8 were relatively low, 0.14, 0.16 and 0.15, respectively. In conclusion, culling for low-parity sows based on PBD is not justified as the value of repeatability of PBD is low. Additionally, assisted farrowing is recommended for high-parity sows and parity-1 sows to reduce the PBD. |
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| Keywords: | Culling risk Mummies Sows Stillbirth piglets |
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