Better Pork - 2016 December

Better Pork

December 2016

obering statistics: The Finnish

Litter Recording Scheme which

reported the performance of

some 30,000 purebred Landrace sows

in 2013 put average lifetime produc-

tion at 3.29 litters.

Britain’s Agriculture and Horticul-

ture Development Board notes this

year that the annual sow replacement

rate for indoor herds averages 52 per

cent. And 32 per cent of gilts coming

into the herd don’t even make it to

their third farrowing!

The replacement rate seems to

be much better in Denmark and the

Netherlands, however. These coun-

tries are currently top of the Euro-

pean swine-production efficiency

league, and both record farrowings

per sow lifetime between 4.8 and

5; sows produce around 60 weaned

hogs apiece.

And in Germany, the Bavarian

Association for Livestock Producer

Groups reports average lifetime

production from its members’ 70,000

sows as 5.1 litters and 52.5 weaned

hogs.

So what’s the secret for longer-

living, more productive sows? Is it

mainly due to mother sow genetics?

Günther Dahinten from Ba-

varia’s Institute for Animal Breeding

indicates that hybrid mothers from

local breeding programs do indeed

perform much better than those from

international breeding companies in

this respect. For instance, the main

Bavarian hybrid consistently records

a 40 per cent culling rate up to lit-

ter five. The comparative figure for

the worst performing international

breeding company hybrid line is 67

per cent.

Austria’s Swine Breeding Associa-

tion easily matches neighbouring

Bavaria’s performance in this respect.

Not surprisingly, because in Austria

Optimizingsowoutputwith longer productive lives

In Europe, the average sow doesn’t survive to produce a fourth litter. Yet in the best herds, some sows

manage 10 farrowings and more. It’s time to take a closer look at improving sow longevity.

by NORMAN DUNN

Nowadays, German hybrid sows have a lifetime production of at least

five litters. These sows still have a way to go before they match the

Austrian average of just below seven litters per sow.

OPTIMIZING

SOW

OUTPUT