Embedded Files
Intended Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson the student will be able to:
Enumerate the factors on selecting sows/gilts and boars for breeding.
Identify the different types of breeding system
Knows what are the guidelines for normal reproduction of pigs
Recognize the feeding management of sows and gilts
State the advantages of flushing
Explain the importance of detecting heat in sows
Determine the different types of mating
Describe on how to care the sow and boar in breeding period.
Definition of Terms
Definition of Terms
Agalactia
is defined as failure of the jill to lactate enough milk for a normal litter of eight or nine kits.
Boar
an uncastrated domestic male pig.
Carcass
the dressed body of a meat animal
Cryptorchidism
a condition in which one or both of the testes fail to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum.
Equine Coital Exthanema
is a benign venereal disease of horses caused by equine herpesvirus type 3
Estrous Cycle
the recurring reproductive cycle in many female mammals, including estrus, ovulation, and changes in the uterine lining.
Gilt
a young sow
Hernia
is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides.
Heterosis
refers to the phenomenon that progeny of diverse varieties of a species or crosses between species exhibit greater biomass, speed of development, and fertility than both parents.
Homozygous
having two identical alleles of a particular gene or genes.
Litters
The total number of piglets born (alive or stillborn) per farrowing, excluding mummified pigs.
Loin
the part of the body on both sides of the spine between the lowest (false) ribs and the hipbones.
Estrus
a regularly occurring period of sexual receptivity in most female mammals, except humans, during which ovulation occurs and copulation can take place; heat.
Pasterns
is a part of the leg of a horse between the fetlock and the top of the hoof.
Boar
an uncastrated male animal
Teats
the protuberance through which milk is drawn from an udder or breast
Udder
a large pendulous organ consisting of two or more mammary glands enclosed in a common envelope and each provided with a single nipple
Motivation
INSTRUCTION:
Each group can answer the questions.
You can create it in microsoft word application or in hand written form.
The file name of your output is always start with your Groupname_groupnumber_Activity 4.docx
Put your output in the Activity 4 folder.
Pass your output in the google drive link below.
QUESTIONS:
The class will be divided into 2 groups. Each group will describe the two (2)pictures below and list down the traits of a good sow and boar must have to have quality breeding.
Lesson Content:
Selection Criteria for Sows
Selection Criteria for Sows
When selecting breeder sows on the basis of physical appearance consider the following.
The gilt should have well-developed udder with a minimum of six pairs of properly spaced function teats. A sow with poor udder development is likely to have poor milking capacity.
Choose those which do not have inverted teats for such teats are inherited and do not secrete milk.
A long body is more desirably in sows because it provides more space for udder development.
Long body will also accommodate more piglets during pregnancy.
The body should have uniform width from front to rear.
Good development of the ham, loin and shoulder is required of a breeding animal.
Must have sound and well-placed feet and legs. Animals with medium short feet and short upright pasterns are preferable.
Fig. 1 Sound Gilt
Fig. 1 Sound Gilt
Fig. 2 unsound gilt
Fig. 2 unsound gilt
Make it a point to select the biggest animals within a litter.
Female breeders should come from a litter of eight or more good sized piglets with high survivability.
Do not keep gilts that come from sows in which agalactia (failure to secrete milk) have been observed.
Select vigorous and hardly pigs from a healthy litter in a herd raised under good swine sanitation. Do not keep gilts or boars nor breed from litters that have physical abnormalities. These may be inherited.
Age of bred sows must be 2-3 years.
Selection of Sows based on Performance basis
Select the sows that are already bred at least once.
Sows must produce young ones every year.
Sows should have mothering ability
Must be ready for another rebreeding at the end of lactation.
Growth rate
Feed Efficiency
Carcass Quality
Most of the factors discussed in connection with a selection of gilt or sow also apply in the selection of a boar. However, the following pointers should also be considered.
Masculinity, both in appearance and action, should predominate in the make-up of any boar.
The primary sex organs should be clearly visible and be well-developed. Select only those boars whose testicles are of equal size.
Select however, the best is to select a boar which has been proven and tested for boars with traits that can overcome the defects of the herd. Minor defects may be ignored provided that they are not present among the sows.
Long deep body
Smooth shoulders and strong legs
Sound health and performance record
No cryptorchid condition
Age between 1.5 – 2 years
Not over fat condition
Breeding Management
Breeding Management
Most gilts of the improved breeds reach the age of puberty at about six to eight months of age but they should not be bred until they are eight months of age or are weighing about 90 to 100 kg.
The Different Breeding Systems
The Different Breeding Systems
Inbreeding
Mating between individuals of the same breed but which are more closely related than the average of the breed. This could be between as close individuals as full sibs or sire – daughter, mother - son. Pure breeding is a special kind of in-breeding. The effect of inbreeding is the concentration of common genes in the offspring. This high frequency of homozygous gene pairs applies to both desirable and undesirable traits. Many undesirable traits e.g. hernia and cryptorchidism involve recessive genes thus inbreeding perpetuates their expression phenotypically. In breeding causes decrease in litter size and increases mortality. Inbred sows are inferior in milking and mothering ability. It delays sexual maturity in gilts and boars. Inbred boars have less sexual libido. Inbred gilts have fewer eggs during oestrus and farrow smaller litters than those out bred.
Effect of In-Breeding
Sow with newly borne litters about 12 piglets.
Male and Female piglets taken by another farmers to his home.
Breeding between the same siblings.
Female giving birth about 9 piglets
About 25 % less no of smaller and weak piglets are born as compared with first sow and some of them were borne dead
Breeding between the same siblings about six piglets.
Out breeding
Mating of unrelated animals
This system gives good results with performance of pigs
Mating individuals of the same breed but who are less closely related than the average of the breed. There should not be a common ancestor for at least four generation back in the pedigree of the boar and the females with which he is mated. It is a useful mating system in purebred individuals.
Out crossing
Mating of unrelated animals of same breed
Cross breeding
For commercial swine production program. It is a common method used in areas around bacon (a meat from back and side of pig) factories and preserved, cured with salt solution.
It involves mating of animal between different breeds.
Mating two individuals from different breeds thus introducing into the progeny a gene combination that is different from that existing in either parent or in the breed of either parent. Cross breeding can involve two or more breeds, depending on the desired result. The sole purpose of cross breeding is to take advantage of the observed improvement in performance of the progeny above that of either parent- hybrid vigour or heterosis.
Methods of Cross Breeding
· Cross Breeding Between Unidentified Breeds
Effect of Cross Breeding
Increased litter size
pig survival
growth
Some improvement in feed efficiency is realized, but carcass traits show little heterosis.
Overall efficiency and improvement in these characteristics is made by selecting superior parents.
Guidelines for the Normal Reproduction of Pigs
Guidelines for the Normal Reproduction of Pigs
Age at puberty 6-7 months
Breeding age of gilts – 10-12 months
Breeding weight of gilts – 90-100 kg.
Breeding age of boar – 18-24 months
Number of sows /boar – 10 (1:10) Boar: Sow
Heat cycle – 19-23 days : Average 21 days
Heat period – 2-3 days
Mating time – gilts- 1st day of heat. In sow- 2nd day of onset of heat.
Number of services per conception – 2 at a interval of 14 hours
Gestation period – 112-114 days (3 months 3 weeks 3 days)
Suckling period – 56-60 days
Average litter size at birth- 10-14
Average litter size at weaning- 8-10
Rest period- 45 days
Occurrence of heat after weaning- 2-10 days. This is the fertile heat.
Period of mating- 15 days after weaning
Volume of semen ejaculation- 200ml-300ml
Average number of sperm/cu mm- 1 lakh (100,000)
Average age to castrate pigs – 4.8 weeks
Market age for fattening pigs – 6 months
Market weight at 6 months- 70-75kg.
Farrowing interval- 7-71/2 months
Sows can breed up to – 8-10 years
What is Flushing?
What is Flushing?
Providing an extra 2 lb./day for two weeks before breeding, commonly known as flushing, has been shown to increase litter size as much as one pig per litter.
After breeding, feed intake for sows and gilts in good body condition should be reduced to 4 or 4.5 lb/day or the level they will be fed throughout gestation. Thin sows should be fed at the level required to return them to the desired body condition.
Advantage of Flushing
Improvement in physical condition of the female
Prompt post weaning estrus
Shows prominent heat symptoms
Increases ovulation rate
Good litter size
Shortens period between weaning to successful conception
More uniform litter size- high number of piglets born.
Minimize embryonic losses
Feeding Management of Breeding Sow or Gilts
Feeding Management of Breeding Sow or Gilts
Feeding gilts and sow liberally to increase energy intake 10-15 days prior to mating is called Flushing. It may be done as follows:
Feed leguminous hay, cowpea, lucerne, berseem for supply of more protein, minerals and vitamins.
Extra allowance of grains.
Give multivitamin injection along
With flushing
Feeding Chart
DE- Digestable Energy; ME-Metabolizable energy
Digestible energy (DE): the amount of energy in the feed minus the amount of energy lost in the feces.
Metabolizable energy (ME): the amount of energy in the feed minus the energy lost in the feces and urine.
Heat Detection
Heat Detection
Heat detection is the process of identifying which females are receptive to mating. A sexually mature female pig in good health should cycle every 3 weeks if she is not pregnant or lactating. (The estrous cycle of swine lasts approximately 21 days.) On day 1 the female is receptive to mating; ovulation occurs or day 2 to 3.
Signs of Heat Detection in Sows
Signs of Heat Detection in Sows
Vulval swelling and redness
Vaginal discharge
Frequent urination
Reduced appetite
Mounting behavior
Immobility when normal manual pressure is applied on the back region (lumbo-sacral region)
Restlessness and excitement
Peculiar grunting sound
Erection of ears when pressure is applied on the back
Optimum Time to Breed Sow or Gilts
Standing heat as detected by immobility of sow. In oestrus particularly exhibited by erection of ears when manual pressure is applied on the back of sow.
Influence of boar contact on age at puberty in gilts.
5 minutes of daily contact with mature boar is sufficient to stimulate early puberty in gilts providing the gilt have adequate opportunity for physical contact with boars.
Provision of guard rails at farrowing pen, farrowing crate
Types of Mating
a. Natural Mating- naturally involves a boar and a sow wherein the mating is absorbed
Advantage
Pen mating has the advantage of less labor
Disadvantage
Sow and boar injuries
Less predictable breeding dates
Increased risk of boar over use
Lower conception rates
b. Artificial Insemination- can be done with new and well-preserved semen.
What are the advantages of AI?
Disease control. This is accomplished by preventing skin contact such as in natural service. The most important diseases it protects against are transmission of the herpes virus- equine coital exthanema - and contagious equine metritis, which is caused by a bacteria. In addition antibiotics can be added to the semen at the time of insemination or collection and reduce or totally eliminate breeding the mare with any bacteria at all.
Decreases chances of injury. Semen is generally only collected every other day in an AI program, so there is much less chance for injury. In addition semen can be collected on a phantom and a mare in heat may not even be needed. Not only does this almost eliminate injury to the mare (if she didn’t want to get served) and stallion but also it dramatically reduces the chances of injury to those staff involved in the breeding shed. It may be in future that farms could be in legal trouble when staff are hurt and AI could have been used.
Semen can be collected from stallions with problems. Each year stallions are either injured or have trouble breeding due to inherent libido (sexual behaviour) problems. Because semen only needs to be collected every other day it reduces the effects of breeding pressure and injuries.
Semen is evaluated each time it is collected. With natural service we are flying a bit blind because it is not until pregnancy rates are established can we assume that the semen was OK at the time of breeding. With AI we can look and measure parameters related to fertility every time we collect. One way to look at reproduction is to say that when we feel the testicles we are "feeling the future" and when looking at semen we are "looking at history" as one represents potential and the other the recent event of semen production.
Prevents boar overuse.
Allows more mares to be bred. AI lets us divide the semen up into as many doses as he is capable of giving in an ejaculate. Typically, that is around 10-15 doses on every other day collection schedule.
Permits breeding of mares with problems. Each year mares are presented for natural service that may not be psychologically ready for service. Sometimes this is due to the mare’s own agitation and sometimes it may be because she has a ‘foal at foot’ and becomes worried about her foal (foal proud).
Permits use of older valuable stallions. As stallions get older their sperm numbers decrease. This typically begins at around 13 years old. Many stallions are already exhibiting quite obvious sperm reduction by the time they are 16 - 17 and many are almost infertile by the time they are 19 - 20 years old. AI allows deposition of the correct number of sperm to be made for each mare and removes the guesswork.
Allows mares to be bred at the best time for conception. Because we can store semen either cooled or frozen mares can be bred when they are most suited for conception. In a natural service program this would necessitate breeding the stallion as many as 5-6 times per day. Most stallions would not handle a breeding schedule like that for very long.
What are the disadvantages of AI?
Specialized equipment is needed. An artificial vagina (AV), thermometers, warmed containers and equipment non-spermicidal gel and equipment to measure motility (warmed stage microscope) and sperm concentration are all necessary for AI to be practiced properly. This is expensive and a well-equipped laboratory may cost in vicinity of $40 000 just for the equipment (without the building and fittings).
Technical expertise is needed. Personnel need to know how to make the AV so that it is right for the stallion and then how to collect and process the semen properly.
Incorrectly practiced AI can cause problems. You would be surprised to learn just how often the wrong lubricating gel is used in the AV and that there have been weeks before anyone realized that the pregnancy rates were disastrous.
Pigs are prolific animals. A sow is able to carry more than 2 liters of pigs annually and wean over 10 pigs per litter, ultimately producing more than 20 pigs per year. Managing pig reproduction is a key part of a successful niche pork operation.
Care of the Sow
Full-feed the sow or gilt with a high energy ration for about two weeks before mating to endure maximum ovulation rate.
Observe proper time of mating to ensure maximum litter size.
Mate each gilt or sow twice to the same boar in one heat period with an interval of 12 to 25 hours.
A boar-to-sow ration of 1:25-30 is generally recommended.
Care of the Boar
In commercial operations, a new boar should always be checked for fertility and diseases associated with abortion and birth of dead pigs.
Regulate the breeding load of a boar.
Recommended breeding load of boars at different ages
Video Materials:
Backyard Hog Breeding: Using the right breeds for breeding & fattening
Backyard Hog Breeding: Using the right breeds for breeding & fattening
Heat Detection in Swine
Heat Detection in Swine
How to do artificial insemination
How to do artificial insemination
References:
https://www.pigprogress.net/Resizes/560x420/PageFiles/69/80/38069/001/002_448_IMG_CopyofWEB_PPR_27_topsportbeingasowhowcanwehelp.jpg
https://www.livestockoftheworld.com/uploads/205219LargeWhitePig.jpg
https://www.showpig.com/EDUCATION/Selection%20of%20Swine%20Breeding%20Stock.pdf
https://www.facebook.com/togreenfarms/photos/a.107496784008985/194974135261249/?type=3&theater
https://5mpublishing.sirv.com/pig/articles/FAO%20Images/fao1.PNG?profile=article-full
https://5mpublishing.sirv.com/pig/articles/FAO%20Images/FAO3.PNG?profile=article-full
https://5mpublishing.sirv.com/pig/articles/FAO%20Images/FAO2.PNG?profile=article-full
https://5mpublishing.sirv.com/pig/articles/FAO%20Images/faO6.PNG?profile=article-full
https://i2.wp.com/porkgateway.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/1BehaviouralSigns.png?resize=300%2C76&ssl=1
http://qpc.adm.slu.se/5_Entire_Male_Pigs/images/pic017.jpg
https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/AS/AS-559-W.pdf
https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/sites/nationalhogfarmer.com/files/styles/article_featured_retina/public/Natural%20Mating%20-%20The%20Boar%20Achieves%20Successful%20Mounting.jpg?itok=qehuvMrt
https://pressreleases.scielo.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/04/suino-768x4
Video References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TL2mWt4-ho
Activity
INSTRUCTION:
Find a pair in this activity. Each pair will discuss what they understand about the lesson.
You can create it in microsoft word application or in hand written form.
The file name of your output is always start with your Surname_Firstname_Activity 4.docx
Put your output in the Activity 4 folder.
Pass your output in the google drive link below.
Self- Assessment:
Click on the link below to answer the quiz 4.
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