Investigation Of Increasing Turnover Rate Of Sows In Intensive Farms Using Doncom21 Software

Turnover of breeding sows is a key factor that affects sow breeding performance, farm sustainable development and farm profit for intensive farms. The low turnover of breeding sows in intensive farms restricts the improvement of sows’ PSY (PSY, the average weaned pigs per sow per year). In this paper, we collected the first hand data of 2540 sows from 12 intensive farms of Shandong Province from May,2011 to December,2013, and then explored the factors associated with low turnover rate of sows using the Doncom21 farm data management software and based on the actual situations of management in each farm, and finally put forward the comprehensive strategy that might improve turnover of sows. The strategy included the techniques and management measures, such as manipulation the day of estrus after weaning, management of returning to estrus, and elimination the suboptimal sows, etc. The details were listed at below:1. The correlation between the estrus intervals after weaning and the back fat loss during lactation were investigated and a positive correlation was observed. Compared to sows with back fat loss<1.5mm group and those between 1.5-3.0mm, the estrus intervals after weaning increases significantly in sows with backfat loss more than 3.0 mm. Increasing intake together with the nutrient concentration can decrease the backfat loss during lactation. If the backfat loss can be restricted to less than 3.0 mm, estrus interval of sows after weaning can reduce 1.80 days, which means that estrus rate within 7 days after weaning increase 24.80% and therefore the non-production days (NPD) decrease effectively and turnover rate of sows increase.2. According to data analysis of returning to estrus of breeding sows in intensive farms by Doncom21 management software, we investigated the inflammation status in reproductive tracts of sows, the operation flow of assistant bleedings, and the procedures in dilution and preservation of semen. We found some problems that lead to high incidence of returning to estrus, such as dilution and preservation of semen in a farm of Gaotang, and preservation of semen as well as dilution reagents in a farm of Binzhou. After elimination of these errors, the incidence of estrus returning decrease significantly 13.54% in the farm of Gaotang, and 17.40% in the farm of Binzhou. The findings suggest that decreasing of the incidence of returning to estrus can reduce the NPD effectively, improve the farrowing rate, reduce the amount of non-productively sows after breeding, improve reproductive rate of sows, thus improve the turnover rate of sows.3. Based on the production level and scale in a farm in Yuncheng and analysis using Doncom21 software, we made out the standards for elimination of sows, and clear out the procedures and timing choose for elimination to maintain a reasonable and stable structure of parities, and finally increased the delivery rate 16.5% and turnover 0.31.In summary, the backfat loss during lactation, incidence of returning to estrus and management in elimination of suboptimal sows are the key factors associated with the turnover rate of sows. Collecting the data accurately, authentically, and systemically, finding or determining the reproductive problems by Doncom21 software, can reduce NPD, and thus improve the turnover and PSY of sows, and therefore improve the production efficiency and economic benefits of intensive pig farm.