Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica logoLink to Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica
. 1998 Jun 1;39(2):237–250. doi: 10.1186/BF03547796

Reproductive Performance Among Sows Group-Housed During Late Lactation

En studie av reproduktionsresultatet i ett grupphållningssystem för digivande suggor

F Hultén 19,✉, N Lundeheim 29, A-M Dalin 19, S Einarsson 19
PMCID: PMC8050683  PMID: 9787487

Abstract

Four farms (540 sows) that group-housed sows from 2 weeks of lactation until weaning (G-farms) and 3 farms (300 sows) — used as controls — that kept the sows individually penned throughout the 5- to 6-week-long lactation period (C-farms) were compared in terms of reproductive performance. All sows were crossbred Swedish Yorkshirex Swedish Landrace. Sows were kept in groups in the breeding section and were also grouped on deep litter in the dry-sow section on all farms. Batchwise farrowing routines were used on all farms, and batch size ranged between 8 and 22 sows. Fertility and culling data were collected in connection with monthly visits to the farms for 16 months. Among the older (≥ 5th parity) sows, litter sizes were significantly (p = 0.02) smaller in the G-farm group compared with the C-farm group. The percentage of sows mated within 10 days post weaning was lower (p<0.001) in the G-farm group than in the C-farm group, with the difference being most evident among the older (≥ 5th parity) sows. The frequency of repeat breeders among primiparous sows was similar in the 2 housing systems, but among the multiparous sows repeat-breeder frequency was higher (p = 0.04) in the G-farm group than in the C-farm group. In both groups, repeat-breeder frequency seemed to be highest from July to September. Repeat breeding/failure to farrow was a common reason for culling in the G-farm group. These results indicate that reproductive performance was impaired in the group-housing system. This impairment could have been due partly to the occurrence of lactational oestrus, which makes it difficult to maintain adequate routines for oestrous detection and mating/insemination.

Keywords: housing system, fertility, litter size, repeat breeding, culling

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.2 MB).

References

  1. Arellano PE, Pijoan C, Jacobson LD, Algers B. Stereotyped behaviour, social interactions and suckling pattern of pigs housed in groups or in single crates. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 1992;35:157–166. doi: 10.1016/0168-1591(92)90006-W. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  2. Arnone M, Dantzer R. Does frustration induce aggression in pigs? Appl. Anim. Ethol. 1980;6:351–362. doi: 10.1016/0304-3762(80)90135-2. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bokma S. Housing and management in practise: Partly slatted systems. Electronic Identification in Pig Production, Monogr. Ser. 1990;10:37–46. [Google Scholar]
  4. D'Allaire S, Drolet R: Culling and mortality in breeding animals. In: Leman A. D., Diseases of Swine, Ames, Iowa, 7th Edit., 1992, pp. 861–871.
  5. Duggan RT, Bryant MJ, Cunningham FJ. Go-nadotrophin, total oestrogen and progesterone concentrations in the plasma of lactatings sows with particular reference to lactational oestrus. J. Reprod. Fert. 1982;64:303–313. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0640303. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Einarsson S, Madel A, Tsuma V. The influence of stress on early pregnancy in the pig. Anim Reprod. Sci. 1996;42:165–172. doi: 10.1016/0378-4320(96)01516-3. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  7. Einarsson S, Settergren I. Fertility and culling in some pig breeding herds in Sweden. Nord. Vet. Med. 1974;15:26–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Esbenshade KI, Britt JH, Armstrong JD, Toelle VD, Stanislaw CM. Body condition of sows across parities and relationship to reproductive performance. J. Anim. Sci. 1986;62:1187–1193. doi: 10.2527/jas1986.6251187x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gatei F, Castaing J, Lucbert J. Changes in productivity and culling rate according to pregnancy feed intake and litter parity. Livest. Prod. Sci. 1987;77:247–261. [Google Scholar]
  10. Hughes PE. The effects of food level during lactation and early gestation on the reproductive performance of mature sows. Anim. Prod. 1993;57:437–445. [Google Scholar]
  11. Hultén F, Dalin A-M, Lundeheim N, Einarsson S. Ovulation frequency among sows group-housed during late lactation. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 1995;39:223–233. doi: 10.1016/0378-4320(95)01386-E. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hultén F, Lundeheim N, Dalin A-M, Einarsson S. A field study on group housing of lactating sows with special reference to sow health at weaning. Acta vet. scand. 1995;36:201–212. doi: 10.1186/BF03547689. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hultén F, Lundeheim N, Dalin A-M, Einarsson S. Pre- and post-weaning piglet performance, sow food intake and change in backfat thickness in a group-housing system for lactating sows. Acta vet. scand. 1997;35:119–133. doi: 10.1186/BF03548514. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hunter J, Broom DM, Edwards SA, Sibly RM. Social hierarchy and feeder access in a group of 20 sows using a computer-controlled feeder. Anim. Prod. 1988;47:139–148. [Google Scholar]
  15. King GJ. Occurrence of postweaning oestrus in primiparous and pluriparous sows. 5th. Zagreb: Int. Pig Vet. Soc. Congr.; 1978. [Google Scholar]
  16. Kirkwood RN, Mitaru BN, Gooneratne AD, Blair R, Thacker PA. The influence of dietary energy intake during successive lactations on sow pro-lifacy. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 1988;68:283–290. doi: 10.4141/cjas88-029. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  17. Linde C, Einarsson S, Pettersson H. Reproductive performance in gilts through their first 2 parities. Nord. Vet. -Med. 1984;36:207–214. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Love RJ. Reproductive performance of first parity sows. Vet. Ree. 1979;104:238–240. doi: 10.1136/vr.104.11.238. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Love RJ, Evans G, Klupiec C. Seasonal effects on fertility in gilts and sows. J. Reprod. Fert. 1993;48(Suppl.):191–206. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Love RJ, Klupiec C, Thornton EJ, Evans G. An interaction between feeding rate and season affects fertility of sows. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 1995;39:275–284. doi: 10.1016/0378-4320(95)01394-F. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  21. Morrow WEM, Leman AD, Williamson NB, Moser R, Pijoan C. Improving parity-two litter size in swine. J. Anim. Sci. 1989;67:1707–1713. doi: 10.2527/jas1989.6771707x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  22. Neil M, Ogle B. A two-diet system and ad libitum lactation feeding of the sow. 2. Litter size and piglet performance. Anim. Sci. 1996;62:349–354. doi: 10.1017/S1357729800014661. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  23. Pearce GP, Pearce AN. Contact with a sow in oestrus or a mature boar stimulates the onset of oestrus in weaned sows. Vet Ree. 1992;130:5–9. doi: 10.1136/vr.130.1.5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Petchey AM, Jolly GM. Sow service in lactation: an analysis of data from one herd. Anim. Prod. 1979;29:183–191. [Google Scholar]
  25. Prime GR, Varley MA, Symonds HW. The effect of food intake during lactation and early pregnancy on plasma progesterone concentrations and proliface in multiparous sows. Anim Prod. 1988;46:499. [Google Scholar]
  26. Randall GCB, Penny RHC. Stillbirth in the pig: An analysis of the breeding records of 5 herds. Br. vet. J. 1970;126:593–603. doi: 10.1016/S0007-1935(17)48074-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Reese DE, Peo ER, Jr, Lewis AJ. Relationship of lactation energy intake and occurrence of postweaning estrus to body and backfat composition in sows. J Anim. Sci. 1984;58:1236–1244. doi: 10.2527/jas1984.5851236x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. von Sambraus HH. Das Sozialverhalten von Sauen bei Gruppenhaltung. (Social behaviour of sows kept in groups) Züchtungskunde. 1981;53:147–157. [Google Scholar]
  29. SAS Institute Inc. SAS User's Guide: Statistics. 5. 1985. p. 956. [Google Scholar]
  30. Signoret JP, Baldwin D, Fraser D, Hafez ESE. The behaviour of domestic animals. London: Balliere Tindal; 1975. The behaviour of swine. pp. 295–329. [Google Scholar]
  31. Stein TE, Dijkhuizen A, D'Allaire SD, Morris RS. Sow culling and mortality in commercial swine breeding herds. Prev. Vet. Med. 1990;9:85–94. doi: 10.1016/0167-5877(90)90027-F. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  32. Sterning M, Lundeheim N. Some factors influencing pregnancy rate and subsequent litter size in primiparous sows. Acta vet. scand. 1995;36:353–365. doi: 10.1186/BF03547681. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Sterning M, Rydhmer L, Einarsson S, Andersson K. Oestrus symptoms in primiparous sows. 1. Duration and intensity of external oestrous symptoms. Anim. Reprod. Sci. 1994;36:305–314. [Google Scholar]
  34. Sterning M, Rydhmer L, Eliasson L, Einarsson S, Andersson K. A study on primiparous sows of the ability to show standing oestrus and to ovulate after weaning. Influences of loss of body weight and backfat during lactation and of litter size, litter weight gain and season. Acta vet. scand. 1990;31:227–236. doi: 10.1186/BF03547566. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Stolba A, Wood-Gush DGM. Verhaltensgliederung und Reaktion auf Neureize als ethologische Kriterien zur Beurteilung von Haltungsbedingungen bei Hausschweinen. Akt. Arb. Artgem. Tierh. 1980;264:110–128. [Google Scholar]
  36. Svendsen J, Nielsen NC, Bille N, Riising H-J. Causes of culling and death in sows. Nord Vet. Med. 1975;27:604–615. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Tsuma V T, Einarsson S, Madej A, Kindahl H, Lundeheim N, Rojkittikhun T. Endocrine changes during group-housing of primiparous sows in early pregnancy. Acta vet. scand. 1996;37:481–490. doi: 10.1186/BF03548088. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica are provided here courtesy of BMC

RESOURCES