USING REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY TO IMPROVE SUBOPTIMAL REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE

摘要

Suboptimal reproductive performance on most swine operations could be described as somewhat of an enigma compared with other types of production problems. This is due to the fact that there are many different things that can potentially cause reductions in a single reproductive measure. For example, low farrowing rates can be caused by a number of different situations including use of infertile semen, poor nutritional management during lactation, short lactation lengths inadequate breeding strategies, or improper conditions during gestation. Moreover, small deficiencies in several areas often produce significant reductions in fertility. This often creates a situation in which reproduction is poor, yet there doesn't appear to be anything grossly wrong with management. Consequently, the identification and eventual resolution of reproductive problems is often time consuming and sometimes frustrating.