Effect of Dam Parity on Growth Performance and Immunity of Weaned Pigs
Growth performance in the nursery may be affected by dam parity. That is the conclusion from work reported by Erin E. Carney and colleagues in their paper published in the 2009 Nebraska Swine Report.

Management for High Sow Longevity
Early departures from the beeding herd are costly, according to this article from Hypor.

Dam Parity Affects Litter Performance and Passive Immunity
Litter performance and passive immunity may be affected by dam parity, concluded Erin E. Carney and co-authors in their paper published in the 2009 Nebraska Swine Report.

Nutrition During Gilt Development and Genetic Line Affect Reproduction
Twenty-five per cent energy restriction during development delays sexual maturity of gilts but has no effect on reproductive rate to parity 1 of those reaching sexual maturity, according to Rodger K. Johnson and co-authors in a paper published in the...

GM Feed in the EU: Policies and Principles
As the price of non-genetically modified (non-GM) feed soars, the European meat industry - bound by strict regulations - struggles to compete both in global and domestic markets, writes Adam Anson for ThePigSite.

R&D - Keys Rules for Greater Return
By Dr Grant Walling, Director of Research and Genetics for JSR Genetics, explains how companies within the food production and retail sectors can get better value from their R&D, and target their spending in the most appropriate areas.

How to Improve Sow and Litter Performance Using Orego-Stim
Research from the University of Minnesota showed that sows receiving a natural phytobiotic feed additive (Orego-Stim from Meriden Animal Health) had larger litters in total and born alive, and the sows had superior breeding scores to the controls. The...

At What Age Should Gilts be Exposed to Boars?
Ronald O. Bates, State Swine Specialist at Michigan State University describes research from Brazil relating the age and weight of gilts when they are first exposed to the boar on the attainment of puberty. The article is published in MSU Pork Q...

Managing Highly Prolific Sows
Guy-Pierre Martineau of France's National Veterinary School and Brigitte Badouard of IFIP Institut du Porc shared their experiences of managing hyperprolific sows with delegates at the London Swine Conference 2009.

Five Ways to Address Summer Infertility in Pigs
Julian Wiseman, Professor of Animal Production, at the University of Nottingham introduces the topical problem of summer infertility in pigs in a discussion with Dr Grant Walling, Director of Research and Genetics at JSR Genetics to provide expert advice...

Developments on the Enviropig File
C.W. Forsberg and colleagues in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph report on progress breeding pigs that secrete the enzyme, phytase, in their saliva and thus require supplements of neither inorganic phosphorus...

Functional Underline Sections Affect Pig Weight at Weaning
The term 'functional underline' refers to a teat and its associated section of the mammary gland. This report in the June issue of North Carolina State Extension Swine News was submitted by Justin Fix and Todd See, and describes an experiment...

Lameness as a Welfare Concern
This paper was presented by John Deen of the College of Veterinary Medicine in the University of Minnesota at the 28th Centralia Swine Research Update. He discusses the seriousness of lameness in sow herds and how lame sows are more likely to be culled....

Piglet Survival: New Thinking on an Old Problem
There are a number of causes of mortality in piglets before weaning, and the best way to reduce losses will depend on the main causes on the particular farm. Dr Emma Baxter is a post-doctoral research scientist Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) whose...

Sow Herd Removals
Growing concerns over welfare have made the public more aware of sow culling, mortality and longevity. These issues are covered by Ronald O. Bates, state swine specialist at Michigan State University (MSU) in the latest issue of MSU Pork Quarterly...

Managing Highly Prolific Sows
Dr Mark Whitney, Associate Extension Professor at the University of Minnesota, offers tips on how to manage today's more prolific sows and their larger but less uniform litters. His advice is based on experience from France's Institut du Porc.

Defining the Benefits of New Genotypes
This study has been prepared by BPEX in order to help producers assess the best genotype for their herd. Trials compared the performance results of progeny from Large White, Hampshire and Pietrain boars at each stage of the production cycle and their...

Culling Sows: Are We Looking at All the Factors?
The best predictors of future performance of sows are age and appearance (conformation and lameness score), writes Dr John Deen, Associate Professor of Veterinary Population Science at the University of Minnesota.

Segregated Parity Structure on Breeding Farms
This paper presents the rationale for segregating sows on a farm into age-dependent sub-populations in order to take advantage of nutrition, management and health opportunities. It was presented by R. Dean Boyd (The Hanor Co) and Noel Williams (PIC USA)...

Be Careful with Oxytocin Use in Sows
S.K. Linneen, J.M. Benz, S.S. Dritz, J.M. DeRouchey, R.D. Goodband and M.D. Tokach of Kansas State University explain how best to use oxytocin for sows in order to decrease farrowing time and birth interval as an aid to prevent stillbirths.

Condition Scoring of Sows
Achieving an optimal average condition score of 3 throughout the breeding herd and minimising variation of condition scores should be the aims. Number 20 in the Action for Productivity series from BPEX is a practical guide on how to condition...

Sow Feed Additives on the Market: Are They Worth it?
Drs Joel DeRouchey, Mike Tokach, Steve Dritz, Bob Goodband and Jim Nelssen of Kansas State University give an expert opinion on organic acids and a range of nutrients in diets for sows in a review published in 2005.

Improving Piglet Survival Through Breeding
Analysis of the records of separate sire and dam lines of one breed has shown up genetic links between piglet survival, litter size and production traits, offering the hope of improving survival through breeding. The results were presented by Dagmar Kapell...