What measures are there to improve sow productivity?

The productivity level of sows directly affects the efficiency and profitability of pig farming. Strengthening the reproductive management of the sow herd is of great significance for ensuring and improving sow productivity.

Pregnant sows should be checked for pregnancy in a timely manner after mating, so that open (non-pregnant) sows can be identified as early as possible, brought into estrus, and re-mated promptly. Where conditions permit, farms can use instruments. From 25-30 days after mating, early pregnancy testing can determine whether a sow is pregnant, so that non-pregnant sows can be identified and re-mated in time. This is an effective measure for increasing the reproductive rate of the sow herd and reducing the feed cost losses caused by open sows.

The first thing is estrus. Whether by natural mating or artificial insemination, timely mating is an important factor in achieving good reproductive performance, and accurate estrus detection is the prerequisite for timely mating. The second thing is promptly identifying sows that return to estrus. If the farm does not have a pregnancy diagnosis device, it can only rely on manual estrus detection to identify returning sows. Therefore, at around 18-24 days, 39-45 days, and 60-66 days after mating, checks for returns to estrus should be strengthened. Use a mature boar for estrus detection; an ideal boar for this purpose should be at least over 12 months old, and back-pressure testing can be used, as can stimulation of the flank and abdomen. The key to successful mating is correctly recognizing the signs of estrus and mating at the right time.

Second, by strengthening feeding management to reduce the non-productive days of sows, the number of weaned piglets provided per sow per year and the economic benefits can be significantly increased. Promptly and proactively cull sows with poor performance and maintain a reasonable parity structure. Generally, the ideal parity structure of a sow herd is: first-parity sows account for 20%; second parity 18%; third parity 17%; fourth parity 15%; fifth parity 14%; sixth parity 10%; seventh parity and above 6%. Proactively cull those sows that are too high in parity, declining in performance, have not come into estrus for a long time, have inflammation of the reproductive organs, or have poor legs and feet. Once a sow is designated for culling, it should be culled immediately. Some farmers are unwilling to cull sows when live pig prices are high, but this is actually unscientific. Hong Liang