The importance of optimal body condition to maximise reproductive health and perinatal outcomes in pigs

Muro, Bruno Bracco Donatelli; Carnevale, Rafaella Fernandes; Leal, Diego Feitosa; Almond, Glen W.; Monteiro, Magali; Poor, André Pegoraro; Schinckel, A. P.; Garbossa, César Augusto Pospissil

doi:10.1017/s0954422422000129

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 240 publications

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“…BCS measures presented moderate to high heritabilities. Body condition is an essential measure to ensure the right amount of nutrition and consequently production in the herd [ 55 ]. Fat and thin sows can reduce the profitability of the herd, since they can have reduced farrowing rates, longer time between weaning and estrus, and fewer piglets per litter, which affects sow productivity, and consequently, herd profitability [ 56 , 57 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic parameters for automatically-measured vaginal temperature, respiration efficiency, and other thermotolerance indicators measured on lactating sows under heat stress conditions

Freitas,

Johnson,

Wen

et al. 2023

Genet Sel Evol

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Background Genetic selection based on direct indicators of heat stress could capture additional mechanisms that are involved in heat stress response and enable more accurate selection for more heat-tolerant individuals. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for various heat stress indicators in a commercial population of Landrace × Large White lactating sows measured under heat stress conditions. The main indicators evaluated were: skin surface temperatures (SST), automatically-recorded vaginal temperature (TV), respiration rate (RR), panting score (PS), body condition score (BCS), hair density (HD), body size (BS), ear size, and respiration efficiency (Reff). Results Traits based on TV presented moderate heritability estimates, ranging from 0.15 ± 0.02 to 0.29 ± 0.05. Low heritability estimates were found for SST traits (from 0.04 ± 0.01 to 0.06 ± 0.01), RR (0.06 ± 0.01), PS (0.05 0.01), and Reff (0.03 ± 0.01). Moderate to high heritability values were estimated for BCS (0.29 ± 0.04 for caliper measurements and 0.25 ± 0.04 for visual assessments), HD (0.25 ± 0.05), BS (0.33 ± 0.05), ear area (EA; 0.40 ± 0.09), and ear length (EL; 0.32 ± 0.07). High genetic correlations were estimated among SST traits (> 0.78) and among TV traits (> 0.75). Similarly, high genetic correlations were also estimated for RR with PS (0.87 ± 0.02), with BCS measures (0.92 ± 0.04), and with ear measures (0.95 ± 0.03). Low to moderate positive genetic correlations were estimated between SST and TV (from 0.25 ± 0.04 to 0.76 ± 0.07). Low genetic correlations were estimated between TV and BCS (from − 0.01 ± 0.08 to 0.06 ± 0.07). Respiration efficiency was estimated to be positively and moderately correlated with RR (0.36 ± 0.04), PS (0.56 ± 0.03), and BCS (0.56 ± 0.05 for caliper measurements and 0.50 ± 0.05 for the visual assessments). All other trait combinations were lowly genetically correlated. Conclusions A comprehensive landscape of heritabilities and genetic correlations for various thermotolerance indicators in lactating sows were estimated. All traits evaluated are under genetic control and heritable, with different magnitudes, indicating that genetic progress is possible for all of them. The genetic correlation estimates provide evidence for the complex relationships between these traits and confirm the importance of a sub-index of thermotolerance traits to improve heat tolerance in pigs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic parameters for automatically-measured vaginal temperature, respiration efficiency, and other thermotolerance indicators measured on lactating sows under heat stress conditions

Freitas,

Johnson,

Wen

et al. 2023

Genet Sel Evol

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“…Sows with a lower mean or slope for caliper pre-mating were genetically more likely to have a high number of tail-enders, suggesting maintaining appropriate (higher) sow condition is important to reduce the occurrence of poor quality slaughter progeny. Low body condition in sows is frequently associated with poor intake [ 30 ] and higher litter size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traits Defining Sow Lifetime Maternal Performance

Vargović

Harper²,

Bunter

2022

Animals

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Declining sow performance with increasing parity or an increase in the number of poor- quality pigs potentially impacts on farm productivity. This study investigated the phenotypic and genetic background of the sow’s influence on (i) the number of pigs not meeting the industry standards (tail-enders) and (ii) changes in performance with parity. Data were available for 3592 sows and their litters (13,976 litters) from a pig production system in NSW, Australia. The mean, standard deviation (SD), and slope for trait values over time were estimated for the sow characteristic traits: number of born-alive (NBA) and stillborn (SB) piglets and body condition of sow recorded with a caliper (CAL), along with maternal effects on piglet performance, represented by: average piglet birth weight (APBW), number of weaned piglets (WEAN), and tail-enders (TEND). Traits were analyzed in ASReml 4.2, by using an animal model. The number of tail-enders produced by a sow is a heritable trait, with a heritability estimate of 0.14 ± 0.04. Sow characteristics and maternal effects on piglet performance expressed by mean and slope had similar heritability estimates, ranging from 0.10 ± 0.03 to 0.38 ± 0.05, whereas estimates for SD traits were generally not different from zero. The latter suggests individual variability in sow characteristics or maternal performance between parities is largely not genetic in origin. This study demonstrated that more attention is required to identify contributions to the problem of tail-enders, and that slope traits could potentially be useful in the breeding program to maximize lifetime performance.

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“…At farrowing, a sow body condition score of 3.6 maximized reproduction for number weaned and piglet survival. In agreement, [24] recommended maintaining sows at a visual sow body condition score of 3.0 to 3.5.…”

Section: Sow Body Condition Scorementioning

confidence: 96%

Associations between Sow Body Condition with Subsequent Reproductive Performance

Authement,

Knauer

2023

OJAS

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The objective was to quantify relationships between sow body condition and subsequent reproduction. Multiparous sows were measured at breeding (n = 1571) and farrowing (n = 887) on a commercial farm in eastern North Carolina. Sow body condition measures included: sow body condition caliper (CS), weight (BW), backfat, longissimus muscle area (LMA) and visual body condition score (BCS). Sow production traits were: number born alive (NBA), litter birth weight (LBW), number weaned (NW), piglet survival (PS), litter weaning weight (LWW), wean-to-conception interval (WCI), farrowing rate and lactation average daily feed intake. Data were analyzed in SAS using PROC GLM for continuous traits and PROC GLIMMIX for categorical traits. Breeding CS had a curvilinear relationship (P < 0.05) with NBA, LBW, NW, PS and WCI, with a CS of 15 being optimal for NBA, NW and PS and 14 ideal for LBW and WCI. Breeding LMA had a curvilinear relationship (P < 0.05) with PS, with 51.5 cm 2 maximizing survival. Breeding BCS had a curvilinear relationship (P < 0.05) with NBA, LBW, NW, PS and WCI, with 3.2 being optimal for NBA, NW and WCI and 3.0 ideal for LBW and PS. Farrowing CS had a curvilinear relationship (P < 0.05) with NW and PS, with 15 being optimal. Farrowing BCS had a curvilinear relationship (P < 0.05) with NW and PS, with 3.6 being ideal. Farrowing BW had a curvilinear relationship (P < 0.05) with LWW and PS, with a BW of 220 and 210 kg, respectively, being optimal. Farrowing LMA had a curvilinear relationship (P < 0.05) with WCI, with 51.6 cm 2 being ideal. Results provide sow body condition targets to maximize reproductive throughput. The present study suggests feeding sows to a target sow body condition caliper score of 14 to 15 (representing a back angle of 130˚ to 132.5˚) to maximize sow productivity.

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The importance of optimal body condition to maximise reproductive health and perinatal outcomes in pigs

Cited by 8 publications

References 240 publications

Genetic parameters for automatically-measured vaginal temperature, respiration efficiency, and other thermotolerance indicators measured on lactating sows under heat stress conditions

Genetic parameters for automatically-measured vaginal temperature, respiration efficiency, and other thermotolerance indicators measured on lactating sows under heat stress conditions

Traits Defining Sow Lifetime Maternal Performance

Associations between Sow Body Condition with Subsequent Reproductive Performance

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