Page 15 of articles about genetics-reproduction in Articles

When the sow is pregnant, the corpus luteum remains and continues to produce progesterone. While the levels of progesterone are high the sow does not become in heat and maintains gestation.

Abortions are not always witnessed in yards or extensive systems. Evidence is provided by sudden weight loss and a vulval discharge.

So far we have seen different options for retaining the males and for stimulating the stalled sows that maximize speed and stimulus. Once stimulated, now we are going to mate them.

For hormones to be efficient it is essential to use them with the right approach. For this we must know the reproductive cycle of the sow and the hormones that are involved.

The performance and conformation of the pig (the phenotype) depend on the combined effects of its genetic make-up (the genotype), which is mostly fixed at conception, and the environment, which includes health, nutrition, management, housing and climate.

Both for heat detection and for mating, maximum efficiency is achieved if the sow is well stimulated.

A breeding chart would be like a type of computer without wires, screen or keyboard.

In natural conditions, there are seasonal fluctuations of availability of food and the earliness or delay in the onset of breeding is related to food levels.

Between 1995 and 1997, at the beginning of an epizootic called “maladie de l’amagrissement du porcelet” (MAP), it was observed that the farms that were most affected and that had the most losses, generally presented obvious deviations from what we would consider to be a suitable management of the animals and facilities. This is why Dr. François Madec made a list of management practices with the aim of improving the anomalous situation observed.

Boars in an Artificial Insemination Centre are breeding a great number of sows. Using conventional insemination techniques, one single boar can be breeding from 350 to 800 times per year.