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Goal
Get to mate the sows, stimulated as much as possible by massaging their back at the shoulder level. The idea is A. Santos'.
Explanation
With the widespread implementation of artificial insemination it was soon seen that, in order to be successful, it was basic to carry out a good oestrus detection and to stimulate the sows during their mating (these tasks were carried out by the boar with the natural service).
When performing AI it is very importat to stimulate the sows so they show the standing reflex (an unmistakable sign that the sow is in heat). Also, the mating of stimulated sows eases the sperm transport to the oviduct, where they meet the ova.
The most usual way of stimulating the standing reflex in sows in heat is placing a boar in front of them. In this way, the contact between male and female is made possible.
As more senses come into play, the better the quality of the contact and, as a consequence, of the stimulus. The majority of the senses are located in the head, and for this reason, normally, in order to stimulate the sow it is enough to bring her face to face with an active and attractive boar, so they can see, smell or even rout and hear each other.
But normally, the boar mounts the sows from behind, and this allows us to assume that a very important sense to stimulate sows in heat when mating them is touch.
Sows are very sensitive to their back being rubbed, specifically near their shoulders, where the boar rests its chin when mounting the sow.
If apart from the boar being in front of the sow we massage her on the shoulders when inseminating her, we will mate perfectly stimulated sows.
