ANALYSIS
OF REASONS FOR CULLING OF SOWS IN PRODUCTION HERD
Hadaš Z., Schild M., Nevrkla P.
Mendel
University in Brno, Department of Animal Breeding, Czech Republic
Abstract
The objective
of this work was to analyse reasons for culling of sows from a basic herd of a selected
production farm. From the total number of 540 sows (maternal line Topigs 40) in basic herd, 119 sows were culled during the
observation period. Culling was evaluated in aspects of parity order and
causes. Evaluation according to the parity order showed that the highest levels
of culling were reached after the 1st and the 2nd parity, with 22 % or 21 %
of sows culled from the basic herd, respectively. In the aspect of specific
causes of culling, the most frequent ones were reproductive disorders (34 %),
followed by musculoskeletal disorders (27 %) and low performance (18 %). Other
causes (bad condition of mammary gland, health condition) each represented less
than 10 % of the cases. The most frequent reproductive disorders were sterility
(47 %), anestrus (38 %), difficult farrowings (10 %) and other problems – conception issues,
abortions (5%).
Key Words: Sow, reproduction,
longevity, culling