breeding management in pig presentations

This ppt is about breeding management in pig

1. BREEDING MANAGEMENT IN SWINE Department of LPM R ajiv G andhi Institute of V eterinary Education and Research, Kurumbapet, Puducherry-605009

2. I NTRODUCTION Pigs are highly prolific in nature and two farrowing in a year should be planned by adopting optimal management conditions. In countries where swine production is highly organized, great strides in the improvement of swine production have been achieved. (To maximize the production). A major portion of this i s due to improvements in the genetic material of swine through selection and breeding.

3. ECONOMIC IMPORTANT TRAITS OF SWINE REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS PRODUCTIVE TRAITS CARCASS TRAITS (Production traits have moderate heritability, therefore improved by selection) Mean litter size Mean birth weight of piglets (kg) Mean weaning weight Growth rate Feed efficiency Economy of gain Milking ability (Reproduction traits have low heritability, therefore improved by cross-breeding) Litter size Number of piglets weaned/litter Prolificacy/fertility (Carcass traits are highly heritable and therefore improved by selection) Dressed weight Back fat thickness Loin eye are a Primal cut percentage Meat to bone ratio Meat PH Meat water holding capacity

4. SELECTION OF BREEDING STOCK General visual appraisal (size, scale, eyes, BCS, depth, and width of body) Conformation – (structural corrections) Pedigree data Performance data Genetic animal evaluation Respective breed standards Age of the animal Carcass quality Growth and weight per day of age Condition – (amount of finish or fat the animal is carrying)

5. AGE OF BREEDING STOCK Well-developed gilts may as a general rule be bred to farrow when 12 to 14 months old . Gilts should weigh at least 100 kg before breeding. Ovulation rate increases during successive estrous periods (up to fifth) following puberty. Litter size increases, on an average, in succeeding pregnancies up to fifth or sixth litter . It is, therefore, advantageous to cull the sow from a breeding herd or a commercial herd after her fifth or sixth litter, as the litter size goes down thereafter.

6. SELECTION OF BOARS They must belong to a litter with a size and weight of not less than 8 and 72 kg respectively at weaning. They should have signs of masculinity with good testicular development and at the same time should possess good temperament and docility. Boar must possess traits of a meaty hog ie . Body length, height, skeletal size, muscle size, and shape. They should be free from physical defects , possess soundness of feet, legs, underline, and body capacity, and have mating ability. They should have a high average daily gain and high feed conversion efficiency .

7. SELECTION OF SOW/GILT They should be selected from mother pigs having good mothering ability as shown by large litter size and weights and at weaning of piglets. They should have a well-developed udder with 12-14 functional teats and at least 6 teats in each row evenly distributed on the belly side. Teats of sow must be free from abnormalities like inverted teats and blind teats. Normally well-developed reproductive external genitalia . The sow must be able to produce numerous viable young ones each year. Gilts should have sound feet and legs as defects interfere with normal breeding, farrowing, and nursing functions.

8. REPRODUCTIVE PARAMETERS OF SWINE Age to breed gilts – 8 months Weight of breed gilts – 100-120 kgs Length of estrous – 2-3 days Number of services per sow – 2 services at an interval of 12-14 hours. Period of estrous cycle – 18-24 days (average – 21 days) Occurrence of heat after weaning – 2-10 days Gestation period – 114 days. Sex ratio – 1:15 to 1:20

9. ESTROUS SIGNS OF SWINE Standing Heat – standing to be mounted Red, swollen vulva Increased nervous activity Desire to seek boar Vaginal mucous discharge

10. ESTROUS DETECTION AIDS Successful swine breeding and high conception rate depend on the ability to identify sows and gilts in heat . The oestrous symptoms last for five to seven days beginning with vulval swelling and vaginal discharge . In true oestrus , there is frequent urination, reduced appetite, mounting and standing for service detected by the erection of ears, and immobility when normal pressure is applied to the back (lumbo-sacral region) or when someone sits on the back. (This is referred to as the standing heat or riding test .) Animals with a predisposition for weak oestrus should be brought near the boar to exhibit heat symptoms a little more clearly.

11. CULLING OF SOWS AND BOARS One third of the older sows annually (33% of sows). Nervous and irritable nature. Produce smaller litter . Sows with defective teats and poor milkers. Sows with small vulva , often is an indication of internal reproductive defect. Sows/gilts with inverted teats . Gilts and sows which do not meet the standard of meaty hogs. SOWS BOARS Infertile one (lack of libido) Boar of over 5 years of age Irritable nature and nervous disposition Over fat and too heavy, finds difficult to mount Not true to breed Cryptorchid (undissented testis) Weak limbs

12. PREPARATION OF BREEDING STOCK Feeding gilts and dry sows liberally to increase energy intake 10 to 15 days prior to mating is called flushing . Feed leguminous hay (Cowpea / lucerne / berseem) and concentrates for it supplies more protein, minerals and vitamins . Advantages of flushing: Improvement in physical condition of female . Prompt post weaning estrus. Shows prominent heat symptoms . Increases ovulation rate . Good litter size. Shortens period between weaning to successful conception . High numbers born. More uniform litter size. Feeding extra concentrate prior to mating, ensures multiple ovulation , large litter, healthy litter

13. METHOD OF MATING Is the practice of bringing the sows to the boar for individual service when they are standing heat. It is the most common method of mating is purebred animals . Advantages of hand mating: More efficient use of boar power. More accurate farrowing dates. Repeat breeders can be detected more easily. Breeding defects such as limber penis, weak hind legs are detected. Sterile boars are quickly detected. Provision can be made for breeding large boars to gilts or small boars to large sows. Reduced embryonic mortality, if sows are removed from the boar immediately after breeding. HAND MATING

14. In this system of mating, the boar is permitted to run with sows in the pasture land . An aggressive yearlings or mature boar can actually serve 15 to 20 sows in a pasture mating system. Young boars should be limited to not more than 8 to 10 gilts. PASTURE MATING ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION This method has more advantages with estrus synchronization . With additional opportunity of exploiting the effective boar performance. Normal ejaculate if a boar is 200 ml to 500 ml of semen containing 20 to 50 billion spermatozoa. When suitable methods for storage and extenders are developed, 15 to 20 sows could be inseminated / or bred per ejaculate .

15. SYSTEMS OF FARROWING Advantages: In this system gilts are used and pigs are farrowed in spring. As soon as first litters are weaned the gilts are finished to market. Thus the return value of female is more in this system. The management problem is less Less capital is tied up in buildings and equipment and less grain storage is needed The weather is more favorable at the farrowing time and as such pig losses are less The labour requirement is less One litter in a year Disadvantages: The maximum use of available buildings and equipment is not made. Production potential is not achieved . Moreover the distribution of labour and farm income is not uniform throughout the year.

16. Advantages: Both fall and spring pigs are raised from the same sow. The pigs can thus be marketed at two different times of the year. The capital investment in building and equipment is made used to the maximum . There is also better distribution of labour and farm income. Two litter in a year Disadvantages: The cost of maintaining tried sows throughout the year is high . By the time their useful life is over and their market value may be too low. The pig losses in two litter in a year is more .

17. Multiple farrowing system This programme can increase the size of the enterprise. The sow herd is split into 2 or 3 groups with each group farrowing twice or thrice in a year. With these groups the farrowing schedule may be as follows. First group: January, July Second group: March, September Third group: May, November In this system there is regular flow of pigs to market, a better use of existing facilities and distribution of labour evenly throughout the year. Two main disadvantages of the system are possibility of frequent disease outbreak and necessity to a competent help for prolonged farrowing .

18. MANAGEMENT OF PREGNANT PIGS The gestation period of a sow varies from 109 to 120 days, with an average of 114 days . Pregnant animals should be housed in separate enclosures and should not be mixed with new animals to avoid fighting , which at times may result in abortion . It would also be advisable to house pregnant gilts and sows in separate groups during gestation. About 3 m 2 of dry draft-free housing should be available for each sow. The pregnant animals should be allowed to move about every day in the morning on a free range or a pasture, if available. A pasture area is presumed to be clean if a cultivated crop was raised since pigs were last kept on it. It is advisable to limit the size of pastures to one area. Fighting should be avoided, exercise to pregnant sow, provision of clean pasture .

19. MANAGEMENT AT FURROWING Even in well managed farms 25 to 30 per cent of the pigs born never reach the market. Death rate is high during farrowing and the first week after farrowing. Sows may be farrowed in pens equipped with guardrails and a creep space , in farrowing crates or in farrowing stalls. A pen equipped with guardrails and a creep space (with heating lamps in the creep space for northern part of the country) is adequate. The pen should be maintained at 24° to 28°C until the piglets are three or four days old and at 18° to 22°C until the pigs are approximately six weeks old. The heat lamps should be hung 45 cm from the floor and suitably protected.

20. The farrowing pens should be thoroughly cleaned before the sow is brought in. This will prevent a large number of diseases of piglets. The sow should be brought to the farrowing pen at least one week prior to farrowing so that it becomes familiar with the surroundings. Should be washed thoroughly before being brought to the farrowing pen. Then two changes should be made in sows, ration. The ration should be made bulky by substituting one-third of the regular ration with wheat bran . The amount of ration fed should also be reduced by one-third till the sow farrows . The sow should be watched closely for determining the approximate time of farrowing and feed should not be given 12 hours before farrowing . Clean farrowing pen, one third ration substituted with wean bran is essential.