Split suckling versus intermittent suckling with primiparous sows: skip-a-heat effects on oestrus during lactation and reproductive performance

摘要

The stimulation of lactational oestrus with subsequent viable mating outcomes opens up the possibility of increasing lactation lengths and thus the weaning age of piglets without significant losses in sow productivity. Results from previous work in multiparous (MP) sows have resulted in >80% of sows being mated in lactation through stimulation techniques such as piglet separation and boar exposure (McDonald et al. 2013). Compared to MP sows, primiparous (PP) sows face extra metabolic challenges during lactation that may compromise subsequent reproduction. It was hypothesised that mating PP sows at the subsequent oestrus following their first oestrus during lactation (skip-a-heat) would improve reproductive outcomes when combined with either an intermittent suckling or split suckling oestrus induction protocol.