Influence of the use of nurse sows on their lifetime performance

Kamila Pokorná, Jaroslav Čítek, Kateřina Zadinová, Monika Okrouhlá, Nicole Lebedová, Michal Komosný and Roman Stupka
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Kamila Pokorná: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
Jaroslav Čítek: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
Kateřina Zadinová: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
Monika Okrouhlá: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic
Nicole Lebedová: Department of Cattle Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Uhříněves, Czech Republic
Michal Komosný: Czech Breeding Services, s. r. o., Grygov, Czech Republic
Roman Stupka: Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic

Czech Journal of Animal Science, 2020, vol. 65, issue 3, 97-103

Abstract: Using nurse sows is a common practice for intensive pig farming because large numbers of piglets per litter result from intensive breeding. This aim of this study was to compare reproductive parameters of nurse sows and non-nurse sows in relation to subsequent reproductive performance. The study evaluated 463 breeding sows that produced at least one litter. The sows were divided into two groups: non-nurse sows (350 sows) and nurse sows (113 sows) at their first farrowing. The average length of first lactation was 35.12 days for nurse sows and 29.79 days for non-nurse sows. At first parity, nurse sows weaned 5.18% more piglets than did non-nurse sows (P < 0.05). At second parity, nurse sows had 2.25% more live born piglets than did non-nurse sows. Nurse sows also had 9.59% more total live born piglets and they were removed from the breeding herd later (on average by 67.1 days) than were non-nurse sows. In conclusion, using sows as nurse sows in their first lactations provides a good solution when there are large numbers of piglets per litter, and this practice has no negative effect on sows' subsequent reproductive performance.

Keywords: lactating sow; farrowing; litter size; piglet; reproduction; wean (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:65:y:2020:i:3:id:12-2020-cjas

DOI: 10.17221/12/2020-CJAS

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