Influence of the use of nurse sows on their lifetime performance

POKORNÁ, Kamila, ČÍTEK, Jaroslav, ZADINOVÁ, Kateřina, OKROUHLÁ, Monika, LEBEDOVÁ, NICOLE, KOMOSNÝ, Michal and STUPKA, Roman. Influence of the use of nurse sows on their lifetime performance. Czech Journal of Animal Science, 2020, 65, 97-103. ISSN 1212-1819.
Year2020
CathegoryScientific publication in impacted journals
Internal link20018.pdf
Abstract

Using nurse sows is a common practice for intensive pig farming because large numbers of piglets per litter result from intensive breeding. This aim of this study was to compare reproductive parameters of nurse sows and non-nurse sows in relation to subsequent reproductive performance. The study evaluated 463 breeding sows that produced at least one litter. The sows were divided into two groups: non-nurse sows (350 sows) and nurse sows (113 sows) at their first farrowing. The average length of first lactation was 35.12 days for nurse sows and 29.79 days for non-nurse sows. At first parity, nurse sows weaned 5.18% more piglets than did non-nurse sows (P