Producers who are counting on animal attraction to drive their sows to their reproductive potential can’t afford to let the passion wane, says Danish veterinarian Hasse Poulsen.
That’s what happens when boars and sows are left together for too long.
“If he’s around them for 24 hours, he’ll be lying down in the pen waiting to get fed,” said Poulsen about a common breeding mistake.
“And if the sows and gilts get used to him, it’s no good.”
Poulsen recommends producers organize “surprise parties” to recreate some of that initial excitement for their animals.
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Boars are used in most artificial insemination systems. They are brought beside pens of females to excite them, causing the female reproductive systems to release oxytocin, a hormone that causes “standing heat,” triggering contractions that will help drive sperm from the cervix to the uterine tubes. Without these contractions, artificial insemination success rates are greatly reduced.
Poulsen said producers need to keep their animals excited and then service the females while they’re still in the first blush of attraction.
To keep the boar interested in the females, Poulsen recommends leaving it near the sows and gilts for only three or four hours.
This will also keep the females interested. But producers must be careful not to overexcite too many females too quickly. Standing heat peaks for 10-15 minutes. After that, the oxytocin level in the female collapses and producers will not be able to achieve high conception rates.
Poulsen said producers need to match their ability to inseminate with the number of females being introduced to the boar.
“Only stimulate as many sows as you can service in 20 minutes,” said Poulsen.
Nose to nose contact should only be allowed for small groups that can be quickly serviced by AI staff.
And after three or four hours the boar must be removed from the sows and gilts completely, he said.
