Semen supplier contributions to sow herd performance

摘要

The use of high quality extended boar semen is critical to achieving desired herd fertility goals. When using artificial insemination (Al) in a breeding program, the semen supplier de facto becomes an external driver to a customer's herd reproductiveperformance. Depending upon circumstance, this input can either aid in or interfere with achieving herd production goals. Abrupt increases in regular return rates leading to repeat services may serve as early indicators of semen quality issues. End-pointdata suggestive or semen quality problems may include low farrowing rate, decreases in average total born per litter, and/or increases in litter scatter. Expectations of fluctuations in this end-point data can be quite variable, driven not just in the etiology of the semen quality issue, but also by herd management factors which can exacerbate the problem. When reviewing the literature, earlier studies' have reported mean reductions of 17% and 1.2 piglets born alive due to poor Al semen quality on farms (N = 37) experiencing ongoing reproductive problems. A more recent retrospective assessment on poor reproductive performance in 600 herds (250-5,000 sows) that use Al found that semen quality issues caused decreases in reproductive performance in 120 (33.3%) of the herds.