Wayne L. Singleton Purdue University

Publish Date: September 18, 2006

Purdue University 1996 Swine Research Report. It is a current accepted trend in the swine industry to produce a leaner, faster growing animal. Consumers as well as producers want lean pork. As hog producers convert genetics and manage their existing genetics to achieve a lean animal, they are presented with a problem. There is not an established system or method of raising high lean growth gilts as replacements. Research is being conducted on this problem.

Publish Date: July 31, 2007

Detection of estrus or standing heat is one of the most critical components of a successful swine breeding program. The widespread adoption of artificial insemination (AI) in the swine industry has shifted the responsibility of detecting estrus from boar to breeding technician. Accurate and consistent detection of estrus is necessary to ensure insemination occurs near the time of ovulation and to identify open females. Errors in detection of estrus reduce reproductive performance and increase herd non-productive days. Since accurate heat checks are so vital, all individuals involved must know the typical signs that females approaching estrus in their herd exhibit and how to best use a boar to stimulate females to express estrus. Reviewed: April 2021

Publish Date: June 3, 2006

Daily care and management of sires in an artificial insemination (AI) center can have a large influence on semen quality and sperm output. A typical boar produces from 1100 to 1200 doses of semen per year (22 doses/wk x 52 wks) and therefore, semen quality of a single sire influences a large number of matings and services per year. A rule of thumb is that each female inventoried will require about six doses of semen on an annual basis (2.2 L/S/Y x 2.2 matings per service x 80% FR x 10% semen wastage (unused doses) . Therefore, each sire inventoried in the boar stud could meet the semen needs for 150 to 200 females inventoried on the breeding farm. The following are some important points to consider for optimal management of sires maintained in a commercial AI center.

Publish Date: June 3, 2006

Herd boars influence the swine breeding program in two important ways. One, they provide a source of genetic improvement and two, they have an effect on farrowing rate and litter size. In addition, replacement boars can be a potential source for the introduction of disease into a herd. The following guidelines provide information to help make decisions when purchasing new boars, acclimating them to their new environment and managing them for productive service as mature boars. This article is based on PIH-1 (12/93).

Publish Date: November 12, 2010

Gilt litters can represent as much as 22% of all litters farrowed on a commercial sow farm. Therefore, improvements in gilt productivity will impact the overall reproductive performance of the entire sow herd. Prior to entering the breeding phase, gilts will need to be appropriately managed in a gilt development program that ensures proper growth and body composition, health, and pubertal maturation. The establishment of a management program to effectively stimulate puberty attainment from a smaller pool of replacement gilts is economically beneficial to a sow farm. Effective management of gilts improves the utilization of floor space, labor and flow of service-eligible gilts within the gilt facility. The single most important factor to stimulate early puberty in gilts is boar exposure. The Swine Research and Technology Center at the University of Alberta has designed an area in the gilt development unit called the BEAR (Boar Exposure Area). A schematic drawing of the BEAR is indicated in Figure 1.

Publish Date: July 19, 2006

Strategies to identify and correct production situations that limit animal performance in a given environment and/or limit profit for the operation can be developed through the routine evaluation of the enterprise.

Publish Date: June 3, 2006

Boars generally show an interest in mounting stationary objects. Therefore, an estrous female is not required when collecting semen to be used for artificial insemination (AI). Adjustable height mounting dummies can easily be made or purchased from a supplier of AI equipment. Basic requirements for a good mounting dummy include appropriate height for mounting and straddling of the boar’s forequarters, structural stability, and durability. Good footing around the dummy is essential to aid the boar in mounting and thrusting, and in the semen collection process. Rubber matting material with openings is a popular choice because it provides for good footing, resiliency to constant use, non-absorbency, and ease of cleaning between uses.

Publish Date: June 3, 2006

Sows that fail to establish and maintain pregnancy fail to cover costs associated with their daily maintenance and housing. Pregnancy diagnosis can help to: 1) minimize costs associated with nonproductive days (NPDs), 2) maintain correct number of sows for farrowing crates, 3) identify open females for rebreeding or culling, 4) prevent unintended culling of pregnant sows, 5) identify the timing and extent of reproductive failure, and 6) help predict future pig flow [(1)].

Publish Date: June 3, 2006

Non-pregnant, non-lactating females decrease the reproductive efficiency of swine operations. They generate production costs and occupy space in breeding and gestation facilities, yet they do not participate actively in the production of piglets. As a result, producers invest time and money with essentially no opportunity for return each day that these females remain in the herd.