The relationship between life performance and productivity in breeding sows

Abstract

Due to high proportions of early culling few sows reach the age most favourable with respect to reproduction. However, outstanding results for performance in relation to reproduction biology, attained over a long life span, verify that the constitutional stability of older animals surpasses that of younger ones culled at an earlier stage; this can be demonstrated quantitatively in terms of life performance parameters. In this study the authors analysed the individual animals of the Keszthely breeding stock of Hungarian Large White sows. The animals were kept at the farm between 1985 and 1994. Data for 768 sows, their 2660 farrowings and the 26,723 piglets resulting were analysed. The findings of the examinations showed that the parameters for the 1st farrowing remained far behind the performance results for the subsequent farrowings, in which higher levels were maintained for longer periods. Decline in the reproduction performances of sows was observed to commence after the 7th or 8th farrowing. The parameters determined (sow age per piglet and piglet weight increase per sow life-day) provide an accurate reflection of sow life performance, and are suitable for use in quality classification for the purposes of complex assessment of the constitutional stability of sows.