Effects of Litter Size and Parity on Farrowing Duration of Landrace × Yorkshire Sows

Ju, Mingming; Wang, Xiao-Nv; Li, Xinjian; Zhang, Menghao; Shi, Lidan; Hu, Panyang; Zhang, Ben; Han, Xuelei; Wang, Kejun; Li, Xiuling; Zhou, Lisheng; Qiao, Ruimin

doi:10.3390/ani12010094

Cited by 19 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Oliviero et al [ 6 ] reported that the average duration of farrowing in modern swine production can range from 156 to 262 min, and farrowing lasting more than 300 min should be considered prolonged farrowing. Likewise, Ju et al [ 7 ] suggested that a farrowing duration of 240 to 300 min can be considered the ideal cutoff point for Landrace x Yorkshire hybrid sows in a commercial pig farm having 5 to 22 TB. Prolonged farrowing duration can cause postpartum complications in sows and increase the percentage of stillborn piglets per litter (SB) [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated with Farrowing Duration in Hyperprolific Sows in a Free Farrowing System under Tropical Conditions

Adi

Boonprakob

Kirkwood

et al. 2022

Animals

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The ongoing selection for increased litter size has had significant impacts on sow husbandry practice. The present study investigated factors associated with farrowing duration and the proportion of sows that had prolonged farrowing in modern hyperprolific sows kept in a free farrowing system in a tropical environment. Farrowing data from 2493 Landrace x Yorkshire cross-bred sows in a commercial swine herd in Thailand were included in the study. The time of farrowing, parity number, litter size, and the birth status of each piglet were recorded. Farrowing duration was analysed using multiple analyses of variance. Total number of piglets born per litter (TB), parity, and time onset of farrowing were included in the statistical models. On average, TB, piglets born alive, and farrowing duration were 13.7, 12.1, and 221.0 min, respectively. Of these sows, 26.4% had TB ≥ 16 and 21.7% had a prolonged farrowing duration (≥300 min). Farrowing duration was positively correlated with TB (r = 0.141, p < 0.001), percentage of stillborn (SB) piglets per litter (r = 0.259, p < 0.001), percentage of mummified foetuses (MF) per litter (r = 0.049, p = 0.015), piglet birth weight (r = 0.068, p < 0.001), and litter birth weight (r = 0.041, p = 0.043). The proportion of SB per litter was higher and piglet birth weight lower in litters that had ≥16 TB than those with 8–12 TB (p < 0.05). The farrowing duration of sows with parity numbers 5–7 (247.7 ± 5.1 min) and 8–10 (237.1 ± 5.1 min) was longer than that of sows with parity numbers 1 (188.3 ± 5.2 min) and 2–4 (214.3 ± 3.9 min) (p < 0.05). Sows that had started farrowing during working hours had longer farrowing durations (229.3 ± 3.6 min) than those that had started farrowing during non-working hours (217.6 ± 3.4 min, p = 0.017). In multiparous sows, the duration of farrowing was positively correlated with the maximum temperature (r = 0.056, p = 0.012) and the maximum temperature–humidity index (r = 0.059, p = 0.008) in the 7 days before farrowing. The present data confirm that TB, sow parity, and time of onset of farrowing are significant risk factors for a prolonged farrowing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated with Farrowing Duration in Hyperprolific Sows in a Free Farrowing System under Tropical Conditions

Adi

Boonprakob

Kirkwood

et al. 2022

Animals

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“…Putting gilts (parity 1) aside, several authors provide evidence to suggest there is no significant interaction between the parity of a sow and the duration of farrowing [ 26 , 29 , 100 ]. Contrastingly, others contest this and present evidence to support farrowing duration increasing alongside sow parity [ 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 ]. Ju et al [ 102 ] suggest this could be due to the aging of the uterine muscle tissue after multiple farrowings, reducing the ability to contract, and hence, prolonging the parturient process.…”

Section: Factors Affecting Parturitionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Contrastingly, others contest this and present evidence to support farrowing duration increasing alongside sow parity [ 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 ]. Ju et al [ 102 ] suggest this could be due to the aging of the uterine muscle tissue after multiple farrowings, reducing the ability to contract, and hence, prolonging the parturient process. It was also shown that factors such as litter size, body condition and environment are highly correlated with parturition success and determining the effect of parity alone is difficult [ 102 ].…”

Section: Factors Affecting Parturitionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Ju et al [ 102 ] suggest this could be due to the aging of the uterine muscle tissue after multiple farrowings, reducing the ability to contract, and hence, prolonging the parturient process. It was also shown that factors such as litter size, body condition and environment are highly correlated with parturition success and determining the effect of parity alone is difficult [ 102 ]. Although the effect of parity is under debate, it is agreed that the parturient experience is highly variable between animals and, as such, each case should be observed objectively to ensure both sow and piglet welfare.…”

Section: Factors Affecting Parturitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Defining “Normal” in Pig Parturition

Walls

Hatze

Lomax

et al. 2022

Animals

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Animal production industries rely on efficient and successful reproductive outcomes, with pigs being no exception. The process of parturition in pigs (farrowing) can be especially prolonged, due to the large numbers of piglets being born (on average, approximately 13 piglets per litter in Australian conditions). Difficulties in farrowing (dystocia) lead to poor piglet outcomes and health problems in sows, in turn, causing economic loss for producers and welfare concerns for the animals. Despite the importance of this topic and publications in the area stretching back nearly 50 years, there is still no consensus on the prevalence of dystocia in pigs nor on how to identify a pig experiencing the condition. Understanding the process of parturition and the factors that influence its success is a crucial step towards the early identification of sows undergoing dystocia and development of best practices to assist them. This article describes the key factors that contribute to successful farrowing and identifies areas in which more research is required before the parturition process in the pig can be fully understood.

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“…It is also important to note that these sows started farrowing later in the day and thus there would have been a prolonged period between their last feed and onset of farrowing. Based on the subset of data and previous research ( Feyera et al, 2018 ; Gourley et al, 2020 ; Ju et al, 2021 ), it is possible that these sows had longer farrowing durations and were associated with increased stillborn. Interestingly, when the interaction of treatment and farrowing duration is considered in the subset, it was seen that two feeds did decrease stillborn rate in shorter farrowing sows.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased feeding frequency prior to farrowing: effects on sow performance

Tucker

Petrovski

Craig³

et al. 2022

Translational Animal Science

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Reducing the interval between the consumption of her last meal and the start of farrowing is suggested to increase the energy available to sows during farrowing, potentially reducing farrowing duration and easing piglet births. The present study aimed to examine whether increasing feeding frequency from one to two feeds within standard production hours (0700 to 1500) would produce a difference in farrowing duration and/or stillborn numbers. From entry to farrowing crates (110 ±1d gestation) to farrowing (116 ±1d gestation), multiparous sows (n = 118) were fed a daily fixed amount of feed either once at 0800 h or in two meals at 0800 h and 1300 h. Sow weights and backfat depths were recorded on entry and exit from the farrowing crate. Litter size and weight were recorded at 24 h after farrowing and at d 21 of lactation. Sows fed twice had shorter farrowing durations and fewer stillborn piglets than those fed once (2.21 ± 0.56 h vs 3.25 ± 0.52 h; P = 0.001). The interaction between treatment and farrowing duration showed that sows fed twice having a reduced farrowing duration had significantly lower stillborn rates than those fed once or those fed twice with longer farrowing durations (P < 0.001). These findings suggest that increasing feeding frequency prior to farrow can reduce farrowing duration and stillborn numbers in some sows, however, some sows remain with a high stillborn rate regardless of feeding frequency. Piglet average daily gain was greater in once-fed sows, but fewer of these sows remained in the herd at subsequent farrowing. Further, subsequent total born and born alive were higher in twice-fed sows. Feeding sows at a higher frequency can improve farrowing performance in some sows and could increase the longevity of the sow in the herd.

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Effects of Litter Size and Parity on Farrowing Duration of Landrace × Yorkshire Sows

Cited by 19 publications

References 25 publications

Factors Associated with Farrowing Duration in Hyperprolific Sows in a Free Farrowing System under Tropical Conditions

Factors Associated with Farrowing Duration in Hyperprolific Sows in a Free Farrowing System under Tropical Conditions

Defining “Normal” in Pig Parturition

Increased feeding frequency prior to farrowing: effects on sow performance

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