Abstract:

Breeding gilts at natural or a hormone-induced estrus: Effects on performance over four parities

Roy N. Kirkwood, DVM, PhD; Frank X. Aherne, PhD; Patrick G. Monaghan; S. Christopher Misutka, DVM

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Objective: To determine the effect of gonadotropins on the lifetime reproductive performance and longevity of breeding female swine.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed over four parities of sows originally bred as gilts either at first observed spontaneous estrus ("Control"), a spontaneous estrus after a gonadotropin-induced estrus ("Skip"), or at a gonadotropin-induced ("Bred") estrus.

Results: Original breeding treatment had no effect (P>.2) on either the average number of litters produced per sow (3.47 for Control, 3.17 for Skip, 3.39 for Bred) or on total number of pigs produced during four parities (45.0 for Control, 45.1 for Skip, 45.8 Bred).

Implications: Under the conditions of this study, breeding gilts at a gonadotropin-induced estrus produced no adverse effect on subsequent sow productivity.

Keywords: gilts, eCG/hCG, long-term performance


RIS citationCite as: Kirkwood RN, Aherne FX, Monaghan PG, et al. Breeding gilts at natural or a hormone-induced estrus: Effects on performance over four parities. J Swine Health Prod 2000;8(4):177-179.

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