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PIC 2017

GILT AND SOW

MANAGEMENT
GUIDELINES
WELCOME TO THE 2017 EDITION
OF THE PIC GILT AND SOW
MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES

We are pleased to present the 2017 PIC Gilt and Sow Management Guidelines. These guidelines
are intended to provide recommendations for staff working at a commercial sow farm. In addition,
these good management practices are also applicable to multipliers and production nucleus farms.

Compared to the 2015 edition, we have simplified the search for information. The guidelines are
divided into seven sections that cover the different phases of production on a sow farm. Each
section contains expectations, good management practices and advice for troubleshooting the most
common issues. In order to simplify and speed up the search for the information, we have made a
serious effort to replace long texts by tables.

The material has been reviewed by professionals and experts across the world to make it a global
reference. The focus is on the biology of the animals, independent of the geographical location, size
of operation, sow:worker ratio, facilities set up or use of specific feed ingredients. The guidelines
focus on production management and we have chosen to leave out biosecurity and health protocols
and acclimatization practices. We suggest you reach out to your herd veterinarian or our Health
Assurance team to develop a tailored program based on your circumstances. Last, but not least, we
have added separate sections for group housing and for batch farrowing.

We recognize that there are different ways to achieve the desired results so these guidelines do not
reject other management strategies.

This documentis intended to provide guidance and suggestions to our valued customers. At all
times, please follow the best practices and appropriate standards with respect to animal welfare and
health as outlined by the local governing body, within your country.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS & ACRONYMS............................................................ 1
SECTION 1: GENERAL FARM REVIEW
PROCESS REVIEW............................................................................................ 3
PERFORMANCE REVIEW................................................................................. 3
FINANCIAL IMPACT OF KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS........................... 6
FARM VISIT..................................................................................................... 6
SECTION 2: GILT MANAGEMENT
ELIGIBILITY FOR BREEDING............................................................................ 7
GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES................................................................ 8
GILT PRODUCTION FLOWS........................................................................... 12
SECTION 3: BREEDING & GESTATION
GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.............................................................. 13
POST CERVICAL ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION (PCAI).................................... 17
PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS.............................................................................. 18
REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE BELOW EXPECTATIONS.......................... 18
SECTION 4: GROUP HOUSING
FLOWS AND GROUP SIZE............................................................................. 22
ESF................................................................................................................. 22
TROUBLE-SHOOTING.................................................................................... 24
SECTION 5: FARROWING MANAGEMENT
GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.............................................................. 25
WEANING AGE/LACTATION LENGTH........................................................... 27
TROUBLE-SHOOTING CHECKLISTS............................................................... 28
SECTION 6: BATCH FARROWING
TYPE OF BATCHES........................................................................................ 30
RECONVERTING FROM WEEKLY FLOW TO BATCH FARROWING............... 30
KEY POINTS................................................................................................... 31
SECTION 7: PARITY STRUCTURE
GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.............................................................. 33
GILT AVAILABILITY....................................................................................... 33
GILT SELECTION............................................................................................ 33
INDIVIDUAL SOW CARE............................................................................... 33
CULLING STRATEGY...................................................................................... 33
TROUBLE SHOOTING HIGH SOW MORTALITY AND
LOW RETENTION RATE................................................................................. 34

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS & ACRONYMS

SECTION 1
PICpro100
An algorithm developed by PIC to remotely screen production processes, assigning then a score from 0 to 100.
Parity
Female age based on how many farrowings they have. Thus, Parity 0 is gilt that has been bred but still has
not farrowed; parity 1 is a female that has farrowed once before.
Parity dip
It is when litter size drops from one parity to the next. Usually from parity 1 to parity 2.
Target
The numerical value of a goal.
Intervention level
The actual performance value that should trigger defined actions to break a performance trend and improve.
Breed back
Percentage of the weaned females that shows standing heat within a given period, usually 7 days.
Piglet conversion
Percentage of weaned pigs out of the total number of pigs born in a given period.
Pigs weaned/sow/year
Number of weaned pigs in a full year divided by the average inventory of mated females.
Average age at removal
Age of the sows, in number of parities, when the removal (death loss and culling) happens.

SECTION 2
Eligibility for breeding
A set of characteristics that make a group of gilts ready to be bred with no negative long term repercussions
and optimized economics.
First breeding
The first insemination that a female gets in its life.
Lifetime performance
Average number of weaned (or marketed) pigs until the female is culled or dead.
Nursery
Usually the phase from weaning to 11 weeks of age.
Grower
Usually the phase from 11 weeks of age to 22 weeks of age.
GDU
It stands for gilt developer unit. It is usually the phase from 22 weeks of age to 28 to 30 weeks of age.
cfm
It stands for cubic feet per minute. It is an expression of the volume of air moving through a ventilation system
or other space.
Sq. ft.
It stands for square foot, a non-metric unit of area, equivalent to 144 square inches.
Breeding interval length
Time elapsed from the moment the first female is bred until the moment when the last one is bred in the day.
AI/AO
It stands for all in-all out. It refers to the way a room or an entire building is loaded and emptied.

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 SECTION 3
Meishan crosses
Any individual containing blood from Meishan genotypes. They are broadly utilized as heat detection boars.
Fostering
Action to relocate individual piglets to another sow to give them more chances to nurse.

SECTION 4
Pre-implantation
Flow where sows are moved to groups in early gestation, usually within 4 days after breeding.
Post-implantation
Flow where sows are usually moved to groups after spending the first 4 weeks of gestation in individual spaces.
Static
The group is constituted at once, social hierarchy stabilizes and the group is left intact for the duration
of gestation.
Dynamic
The group is constantly changing by ~15 to 20% of the individuals. Essentially it is a continuous flow system
that looks to optimize space utilization.
Catabolic period
A time where body weight is lost, due to lack of enough feed intake or diets that dont meet the required
nutrient specifications for the age/weight/physiological status.

SECTION 5
ft.
It stands for feet, a non-metric unit of length.
Split-suckle
A practice to separate part of the litter for a defined period, to allow the remaining piglets full access to
the udder, with no competition.
Runt litters
Litters created by placing small but viable piglets on a good nursing sow.
Parity structure
The combination of the different ages of the sow census.
PWM
It stands for preweaning mortality
Runt
Small but viable piglet

SECTION 6
Late weaners
Sows that dont show signs of estrus 7 days after weaning and beyond.
Non-productive days
Days where the sow is either not gestating nor lactating.

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Section 1:

GENERAL FARM REVIEW

This section provides checklists on key performance indicators

related to general sow farm processes and performance.
Comparing actual values versus target levels will help sow
farm managers identify improvement opportunities to get the
most value out of their operations. It will also indicate the need
for intervention.
PROCESS REVIEW
It is essential to understand the processes that could potentially limit the expression of the genetic
potential. PIC has developed the PICpro100 tool to objectively assess a producers production practices.
PICpro100 uses an algorithm developed by PIC that assign a score to 23 production practices most
associated with high sow herd performance by comparing them against accepted good management
practices. PICpro100 can be used to complement more traditional methods to review and evaluate sow
herd performance. The PIC Technical Services Team or your PIC Account Manager can help you gain
additional exposure to this tool.

PERFORMANCE REVIEW
In addition to reviewing production processes, it is important to review performance records by parity
and over a period of minimum 13 weeks. Key indicators to watch are farrowing rate, litter size,
pre-weaning mortality, sow mortality, breeds per week and how many weeks are off target,
replacement rate, wean to service interval, presence of parity dip and number of doses per sow in estrus.
Many other indicators can be reviewed but the first screening will suggest which indicators to review
and/or what to watch for during a farm visit.

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 TABLE 1.1: GILT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM TARGETS
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR TARGET INTERVENTION LEVEL
Mortality 3 to 25 weeks of age 3% 5%
Selection at 25 weeks of age 70 to 80% 65% and > 90%
Percentage of gilts bred at/after 2nd estrus 95% 90%
Recorded estrus on week 4 after beginning of
> 70% 50%
boar exposure at 24-26 weeks of age
Parity 1 farrowing rate > 93% < 90%
15.5 total born 14.5 total born
Parity 1 litter size 14.5 born alive 13.5 born alive
13.5 pigs weaned 12.5 pigs weaned
Parity 1 breed back 90% 85%
Parity 1 wean to service interval 6 days 7 days
95 parity 1 < 85 parity 1
Retention rates (starting with 100 bred gilts) 85 parity 2 < 75 parity 2
75 parity 3 < 65 parity 3

TABLE 1.2: ENTIRE FARM TARGETS

INTERVENTION INTERVENTION
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR TARGET TARGET
LEVEL LEVEL
Lactation Length 21 days 28 days
Farrowing Rate > 92% < 90% > 92% < 90%
Litters/Sow/Year 2.50 2.45 2.40 2.35
Avg Total Born 16.0 15.0 16.3 15.0
Avg Born Alive 15.0 13.8 15.3 13.8
Avg Weaned 14.0 12.5 14.3 12.5
Piglet Conversion > 88% < 83% > 88% < 83%
Breed-back 92% 88% 93% 89%
Avg Wean to Service Interval < 5.5 days > 7.0 days < 5.0 days > 7.0 days
Annual Sow Mortality 5% 8% 5% 8%
Pigs Weaned/Sow/Year > 35.0 < 30.6 > 34.2 < 29.4
Pigs Weaned/Farrowing Space/Year 212 185 167 144
Pigs Weaned per Lifetime 67 59 66 56

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TABLE 1.3: SPECIFIC REPRODUCTIVE TARGETS
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR TARGET INTERVENTION LEVEL
Breeding group variation, % above or below target < 5% > 10%
# of weeks off breeding target within last 13 weeks <2 >3
Conception rate > 97% < 92%
Total return rate (includes regular, non-regular
< 5.0% > 10%
and late returns), as % of the breeds
Abort rate, as % of the breeds < 1% > 3%
Not-in-pig sows, as % of the breeds < 0.5% > 1%
Vaginal discharge, as % of the breeds < 0.5% > 1%
Other reproductive failure (including dead and
< 1% > 3%
destroyed while pregnant), as % of the breeds
Annual gestation feed usage per sow 1,550 1,650 lbs > 1,700 lbs and < 1,500 lbs
> 50 lbs < 35 lbs
Feed usage in wean to service interval
(> 45 lbs in Parity 1) (< 30 lbs in Parity 1)
Sows in ideal body condition by day 30 of gestation,
> 85% < 80%
as % of the group
Sows in ideal body condition going to farrowing,
> 90% < 85%
as % of the group

TABLE 1.4: SPECIFIC FARROWING TARGETS

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR TARGET INTERVENTION LEVEL
Birth Weight 3.0 lbs/pig < 2.5 lbs/pig
Pre-weaning mortality < 10% > 12%
Avg piglet weaning weight > 13 lbs/pig < 12.0 lbs/pig
Lbs weaned/Sow/Year at 21-22 days of age > 455 lbs/sow/year < 370 lbs/sow/year
Avg piglet weaning weight > 16 lbs/pig < 14.5 lbs/pig
Lbs weaned/Sow/Year at 28 days of age > 547 lbs/sow/year < 426 lbs/sow/year
Nurse sows, as % of the weekly farrowings 5% > 10%

TABLE 1.5: KEY INDICATORS ASSOCIATED TO PARITY STRUCTURE ON A COMMERCIAL FARM

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR PIC TARGETS INTERVENTION LEVEL
Annual replacement rate 45 - 55% < 40%; > 60%
Culling rate 40 - 50% > 55%
Sow mortality, death rate, euthanized < 5%, < 3%, < 2% > 9%, > 6%, > 4%
Avg herd age Parity 3.5 < Parity 3.0; > Parity 4.0
Avg age at removal > Parity 5 < Parity 4.5; > Parity 6.3
Gilt utilization up to parity 1
(% of gilts farrowed out of arrived > 95% < 90%
gilts with 20+ weeks of age)
Gilt utilization up to parity 2 > 85% < 75%
Gilt utilization up to parity 3 > 75% < 65%
Gilt utilization up to parity 6 > 55% < 45%

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 FINANCIAL IMPACT OF KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
In addition to reviewing the production KPIs, we encourage the review of financials associated with these
targets and any proposed management changes. This will help to understand where to prioritize efforts
and deploy resources when attempting to address indicators that are not up to the expectations.

FARM VISIT
The ultimate farm review is an in-person visit. It will help to confirm or rule out what is suspected from
the records and remote review of the processes. It is also important to check that sick animals are timely
treated and to discuss with the farm manager any concern about animal well-being.

TABLE 1.6: SIGNS/SYMPTOMS TO WATCH WHEN VISITING A SOW FARM

KEY PERFORMANCE
HEALTHY DISTRESS
INDICATOR
Appetite Consumes all feed Off-feed, feed refusal
Body condition Able to maintain it Weight loss
Wont stand up;
Response to stimulus Stand up
Apathetic or lethargic
Soundness and structure Bearing weight evenly on all four legs Lameness
Long or rough hair;
Short and smooth hair;
Skin and cover Yellow, pale, red or
Pink skin
blue skin
Able to maintain pregnancy; Abortion;
Pregnancy
Mammary gland development No mammary gland development
Fever: > 101.4F
Normal: up to 101.4F
in gestation;
Body temperature in gestation;
> 104F the day
Up to 104F while farrowing
after farrowing
Normal frequency: Coughing;
Respiratory
13-20/min Abnormal respiratory frequency
Scours;
Feces Manure is soft
Constipation
Long and strong Short urine;
Urine
urine stream White urine

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Section 2:

GILT MANAGEMENT

This section provides recommendations and best practices for

gilt management. It will help producers prepare gilts to have
high performance in their first parity while priming them for
high lifetime performance.
ELIGIBILITY FOR BREEDING
Part of the variation in performance across systems and even within systems can be attributed to the
quantity and quality of gilts at their first breeding. The conditions associated with high performance in
parity 1, such as lifetime performance and optimized cost of production, are summarized in the tables
below.

TABLE 2.1: GILT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

TRAIT TARGET
Body weight > 90% of gilts bred within the 300 to 350 lbs range
1.35 to 1.70 lbs/day and
Average daily gain from birth to first breeding
> 90% of gilts breed within the range
Immunity level 3 effective weeks from last health procedure
From 29 weeks of age (203 days),
Age
if meeting the conditions mentioned above

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 GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Under all circumstances, producers should adhere to the locally applicable laws that regulate
management and housing practices, even if they differ from the recommendations presented in
these guidelines.

TABLE 2.2: GENERAL HOUSING RECOMMENDATIONS

(For additional information please refer to the PIC Wean-to-Market Production Manual)
MANAGEMENT
NURSERY GROWER GDU
FACTOR
It depends on
weaning age,
flooring and use of mats;
Room temperature 70F 66F
to be on the safe side,
consider room
temperature at > 80F
Minimum ventilation Minimum ventilation Minimum ventilation
(cold): 2-5 cfm/head; (cold): 5-10 cfm/head; (cold): 12 cfm/head;
Ventilation Mild: 15 cfm/head; Mild: 35-50 cfm/head; Mild: 60 cfm/head;
Maximum ventilation: Maximum ventilation: Maximum ventilation:
40 cfm/head 120 cfm/head 150 cfm/head
Humidity 65%
Stocking density > 3.5 sq ft/head > 7.5 sq ft/head > 12 sq ft/head
Plastic floors only to end of nursery phase;
Slatted floors: 1 inch or less opening, with straight edges;
Flooring
Solid floors: sloped to avoid manure and liquid build-up;
Use bedding material when its use is mandatory by law

TABLE 2.3: GENERAL FEEDING RECOMMENDATIONS

MANAGEMENT FACTOR NURSERY GROWER GDU
Clean and fresh always available;
1 water source per every 10 gilts;
Water sources
When using fixed nipple drinkers, leveled to the height of the
shoulder of the smallest gilts
Volumetric water flow rate > 0.26 gallons/min > 0.36 gallons/min > 0.44 gallons/min
Specific for age/weight;
Diets
Use PIC Nutritional Manual for more information
Dry feeders;
Wet/dry feeders;
Feeder and feeders space 1 inch linear space/
2 inches linear space/present gilt
present gilt
Full feed;
Feeding strategy
Avoid feed disruptions/feed outages

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TABLE 2.4: PRELIMINARY GILT SELECTION RECOMMENDATIONS
(For a detailed description of the selection process refer to the PIC Selection Manual)
TRAIT NURSERY GROWER
Thorough selection before
Process Not a routine
transfer to GDU
Avoid sending gilts to nursery with Avoid sending gilts to GDU with
Goal
evident issues and/or defects evident issues and/or defects
Thrifty, unsoundness, falling
Do not select Do not select
behind, sickness, joint issues
Do not select gilts showing club
Hooves issues Usually unseen at this phase
foot, uneven toes, long dew claws
If counted, do not select
Teats Too soon to evaluate with less than 14 potentially
functional teats

TABLE 2.5: MANDATORY GILT SELECTION RECOMMENDATIONS

(For a detailed description of the selection process refer to the PIC Selection Manual)
TRAIT GDU
Process Last opportunity to perform quality control
Thrifty, unsoundness, falling behind,
Do not select
sickness, joint issue, gaunt.
Do not select gilts showing club foot,
Hooves issues
uneven toes, long dew claws
Must be carefully counted;
Teats Do not select with less than
14 potentially functional teats
Define a protocol to deal with non-cyclers
Heats
if that are truly gilts not showing estrus

TABLE 2.6: BOAR EXPOSURE AND HEAT DETECTION RECOMMENDATIONS

TRAIT GDU
Starts at 24-26 weeks of age
1x daily; 7 days a week; early in the morning;
Nose to nose contact, with boar inside the gilt pen or
Strategy
in BEAR(*),15 minutes maximum per every 20-30 gilts;
Never leave this job to the end of the day
Estimation of time needed 120 minutes/1 person/1 boar per 2,500 sows on daily basis
1 adult boar per every 100 gilts;
Ratio of adult boars to gilt
Avoid working boars longer than 60 minutes;
to be boar exposed
Replace 30-40% of the boars per year

(*): BEAR stands for boar exposure area. Source: Designing effective boar stimulation systems as a critical
feature of the Gilt Development Unit. E. Beltranena, J. Patterson and G. Foxcroft. Leman Pre-Conference
Reproduction Workshop Effective Management of Replacement Gilts (2005)

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 TABLE 2.7: RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS LOW PERCENTAGE OF GILTS IN HEAT
Points to review and interventions when finding a low percentage of gilts with reported estrus
POTENTIAL CAUSES INTERVENTIONS
Annual service of the ventilation equipments and controls;
Clean up fan blades and replace broken ones on an as-needed basis;
Clean feeders up to avoid moldy/spoiled feed build up;
Hot weather Review fresh water availability;
Plan to maintain man-power during holidays and vacations;
Heat detection performed in the earliest/coolest part of the
working day
Severe restrictions can delay the groups beginning of estrus;
Check feeder space per gilt;
Quantify the real needs of gilts as on over-flow of gilts could limit their
Limited feed intake easy access to the feed;
If gilts are restricted because they are too heavy, a review of the flow is
needed and perhaps early breeding is advisable;
Rule out mycotoxins in feed
Check if there are enough number of mature boars to perform both
boar exposure and heat detection;
Avoid working the boars continuously for longer than 1 hour;
Low boar power
Over-worked/tired and/or too heavy boars dont do a good job;
Be aware that continuous exposure to the same boar(s) can also be
associated with a poor gilt response
Check effective man-hours spent on boar exposure and heat detection;
Check weekend/holidays/vacation staffing;
Labor qualification and expertise;
If approved by regulatory entities, pharmacological interventions
can be the last resource and diagnostic. Ask your herd veterinarian when
Low man power it is advisable to consider these as an option;
Slaughter checks of the ovaries. Non-cycling ovaries are smooth
structures while active show follicles and corpus luteum development;
A P4 test can identify true vs. untrue anoestrus but it is not
recommended for routine utilization. Also ask your herd veterinarian
for advise.
Exacerbated and/or
Avoid/mitigate stressor: gilts need water, feed, and to feel no fear
continuous stress
Negative impact of major health challenges at an early phase
Health and health procedures of gilt development;
Avoid vaccinations in the last 3 weeks prior to the first breeding

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TABLE 2.8: RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS LOW LITTER SIZE AND/OR
LOW FARROWING RATE IN GILTS
Points to review and interventions to improve reproductive results
POTENTIAL CAUSES INTERVENTIONS
Hot weather Check Table 2.7
Limited feed intake Feed restriction 15 days prior breeding can hinder litter size
Limited boar power
Check Table 2.7
Low man power
Check Table 2.7;
Exacerbated and/or continuous stress Manage animal flow when there is a lack of parity segregation
in group housing settings
Avoid vaccinations in first 4 weeks of gestation;
Review selection criteria and process of selection when lameness
is seen in recently bred Parity 0 animals;
After stocking new farms, new and abrasive floor can
Health procedures create hooves and sole issues;
Avoid breed animals that need individual treatments around
the breeding and early gestation;
If that happens, review the reasons and address them and also
consider a more aggressive culling strategy
Avoid mixing and/or any stressful management from
Production flow
day 3 to day 28 after breeding
The shorter the better without compromising quality of the
Breeding interval length
individual services, especially during hot weather
Check with your supplier on any event that can be associated
with poor performance;
Semen quality Check semen storage units and temperature logs;
Eliminate any doses carried back from the breeding barn to
the refrigerator

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 GILT PRODUCTION FLOWS
There is no consensus on what is the best flow to generate replacement gilts as each possibility has
pros and cons and depends on the local circumstances. Different options are shown below.

TABLE 2.9: MOST COMMON GILT FLOWS

EXTERNAL
GILT SOURCE INTERNAL
CONTINUOUS FLOW AI/AO
+
Implementation & execution Oversized
+++
of genetic program multiplication in
smaller farms
Gilt flow control ++ + +++
Acclimatization to sow herd ++ + +++
Advantage
in challenged
Advantage in clean Advantage in clean
Gilt usage rate & performance environments
environments environments
(allow exposure
management)
++
+++
Same as sow herd
Biosecurity concerns ++ Good in control
Hard to control/
PRRS/PED
eliminate diseases
+ +++
Transport costs
Higher None
Dedicated labor System choice should not be decisive
Labor cost efficiency + +++
+ +++
Building costs
Depends on volume. Need ISO & Testing Lower
Ability to match diets to weights + +++ +

Key: + = unfavorable; ++ = less favorable; +++ = highly favorable

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Section 3:

BREEDING & GESTATION

This section provides recommendations to realize superior

reproductive performance. It also provides best practices on
accomplishing a precise weekly breeding target which will help
to establish a consistent pig flow downstream.
GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Producers must follow local and national regulations at any time and place. When regulation allows,
consider the following recommendations.

TABLE 3.1: HOUSING RECOMMENDATIONS

ITEM RECOMMENDATION
Temperature 65 68F
Minimum ventilation (cold): 12 cfm/head
Ventilation
Maximum ventilation: 150 cfm/head
Humidity < 65%

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 TABLE 3.2: WEANED SOWS MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION
PROCESS RECOMMENDATION
Identify and mark cull sows in farrowing and
Culling
avoid housing them with weaned sows
Identify and mark sows that will need treatment after weaning;
Movements Wean early in the morning and transfer weaned sows
to the wean area on the same day
Maintain an organized wean area and identify late weaners by weekly lots;
Group all late weaners together in a specific area in the breeding barn;
If enough replacements are available consider culling every parity 3 and
older that has not cycled after day 7 post-weaning;
General strategy Provide 16 hours of photoperiod and 250 lux (never fewer than 200 lux).
Empirical experience suggests to have 150W light sources every 5 ft linear;
If approved by law, pharmaceutical intervention can be used to support
the production flow in critical seasons and get sows back to estrus in case of
delays (always consult your herd veterinarian for details)
Feeding Review Table 3.4

TABLE 3.3: RECOMMENDATIONS TO CONSISTENTLY ACHIEVE BREEDING TARGET INTEGRITY

COMPONENTS RECOMMENDATION
Avoid any disruption in your weekly gilt flow availability;
Maximum 5% over/under weekly breeding target to
Weekly variations 1. keep your breeding flow consistent;
2. keep your weaning flow consistent;
3. minimize weaning age variation
Only breed sows that are eligible to farrow and wean healthy piglets;
Do not breed lame or sick sows;
If enough replacements are available to preserve the breeding target,
consider culling what is presented in Section 7 of these guidelines;
Parity structure
Try to solve reproductive issues by adjusting management strategies first.
If approved by law, pharmaceutical intervention can be used to support
the production flow on critical seasons and get sows back to estrus in case
of delays (consult your herd veterinarian for details)

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TABLE 3.4: GENERAL FEEDING RECOMMENDATIONS
COMPONENTS RECOMMENDATION
Full availability and easy access;
Water availability 1 water source per 10 sows and 0.5 gallons flow per minute in
group housing
Diet For further information refer to the PIC Nutrient Specifications Manual 2016
3 Phases:
1. full feed on wean to service interval;
2. restricted feed based on body condition during gestation;
3. bump feed in late gestation for parity 0, only if body condition is
Feeding strategy
normal or thin;
Group gilts and sows according to body condition assessment in group
housing to facilitate feeding management;
For further information refer to the PIC Nutrient Specifications Manual 2016
Goal is to have > 85% of the females in an ideal body condition range
by 28-35 days of gestation and > 90% going to farrowing;
The use of both body condition assessment systems (caliper and visual
assessment) coupled with quarterly feed usage and performance data
is preferred;
Ideal body condition with visual assessment means that the back, hip, and
rib bones cannot be seen but can be felt when touching the sow
with slight pressure;
Ideal condition with caliper assessment is between 12 to 15 units range;
Body condition
Annualized gestation feed usage should be within 1,500 and 1,700 lbs.
assessment
An investigation is needed when the farm is above or below that range;
Annual sow mortality within below 9%;
Perform body condition assessment at weaning;
Perform body condition assessment at 30 days, 60 days and 90 days
of gestation;
For individually housed facilities: two people are needed: one at the back of
the sows who assesses body condition, the other one at the front adjusts the
feeding boxes according to the nutritionists recommendation;
For further information refer to the PIC Nutrient Specifications Manual 2016
Not more than 100 lbs of net body weight gain at parity 0;
Body weight dynamic
Not more than 50 lbs of net body weight gain from parity 1 and onwards

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 TABLE 3.5: SEMEN DOSES MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
COMPONENT RECOMMENDATION
Semen storage device should be sized for weekly delivery;
Storage capacity equivalent to 0.16 gallon per dose;
Batch farrowing systems might require more storage capacity than
Storage capacity continuous flows;
Two small storage devices instead of one big can mitigate the risk of
technical failures;
To improve safety, have surge protectors and battery backups in place
Space cooler wall > 1 inch
Storage devices
Once a year; preferable prior to summer
maintenance
61 64F;
Temperature
Record maximum and minimum temperature daily
Storage temperature < 1.8F;
Fluctuation Every fluctuation > 1.8F can reduce semen dose shelf life up to 1 day
Deliveries 2x per week as minimum and 3x a week as optimum
Store doses loose, unpacked, and horizontal;
Handling First in - first out principle: use oldest doses first;
Rotate semen doses once a day
Optimum: < 3 days age (from semen collection);
Plan semen orders accordingly;
Semen age
Every additional day of semen age can reduce total born
by 0.3 pigs per farrowing
Take doses to the breeding barn in an insulated container with gel packs
Transport to breeding to maintain temperature;
and gestation barn Have enough doses for maximum 1 hour of breeding;
One way road, no doses from breeding barn back to the refrigerator

TABLE 3.6: BOAR EXPOSURE AND HEAT DETECTION RECOMMENDATIONS

COMPONENT RECOMMENDATION
Boar to sow ratio 1:200
11-12 month;
Boar age
Meishan crosses > 5-6 month
Annual boar replacement 30-40% (30% when using Meishan crosses)
Use active, smelly boars with good salivation and
Boar quality
optimum body condition
Frequency: 1x daily; 7 days a week;
Heat checking Order: Gilts - weaned sows - 21 day bred group - opportunity sows;
Allow nose-to-nose contact

3-4
TABLE 3.7: BREEDING RECOMMENDATIONS (CONVENTIONAL)
PROCESS RECOMMENDATION
Keep the number of opportunity sows below 8% within each
Quality of female at breeding
weekly mating group (in absence of major disease breaks)
Insemination timing Keep it simple; breed females just once daily
Keep breeding area as dry/clean as possible;
Hygiene Clean vulva with single-use dry paper towel;
If using lubricant, keep it clean and stored cool
Stimulation during the insemination with an adult boar and
Insemination back pressure exercised by the breeder;
Do not squeeze the dose
Mandatory, allow nose to nose contact during insemination;
Use 1 boar in front of 3-5 females and use as many boars
Boar stimulation during insemination
as needed but always be cognizant of the risk of operating
with boars
Boar stimulation after insemination Provide boar exposure for 1 hour right after insemination
Individual time needed is unknown;
Time spent breeding AI
Average time should not be below 3 minutes per service
Avoid any movement 2 hours prior to insemination;
Avoid any movement between services;
Move to breed interval
Avoid any movement beyond day 3 after first insemination
until day 28
Do not breed females in refractory period;
Be aware of the relevance of finishing the breedings in
Refractoriness
the shortest time without compromising the quality of the
individual breedings

POST CERVICAL ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION (PCAI)

The major differences between PCAI and traditional insemination are the insemination technique,
and the use of the catheter and dose of semen.

TABLE 3.8: SUMMARY OF MAIN AREAS TO REVIEW FOR PCAI SUCCESS

PROCESS RECOMMENDATION
Time between heat
2 hrs
detection and breeding
Insemination timing Keep it simple, breed females once a day
> 95% success in sows;
Wait at least 2 minutes from outer catheter insertion until attempt to insert the
inner catheter;
Inner catheter insertion Inner catheter should be fully inserted;
More challenging in younger parities;
If after 10 min. the inner rod does not go in completely do not force the passage;
AI the female with a boar in front, back pressure and a conventional semen dose
No stimulation needed; possibility to squeeze the dose;
No backflow during the insemination;
Insemination If backflow occurs check and correct inner rod position;
Change inner rod if bent or breed her AI with a boar in front, back pressure and a
conventional semen dose
Boar stimulation during
Is not required but it could be part of the process without any detrimental effect
insemination
Boar stimulation after Provide boar exposure for 1 hour right after insemination and assure all sows
insemination stand up
Time spend breeding Not less than 1.5 min;
post-cervical Not more than 10 min
3-5
 PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS
Pregnancy control can be done indirectly by detecting the return to estrus while exposed to a boar or
directly by ultrasound. As a general strategy, the use of ultrasound should follow on positive pregnancy
checks to validate results of the boar exposure. Sows that are already detected as returned to estrus do
not need to be checked with ultrasound.

TABLE 3.9: CONVENTIONAL PREGNANCY DIAGNOSTICS

TECHNIQUE TIMEFRAME STANDARD
Use fresh boars: Change the boar if it has
worked for 60 min;
Between 1 50 days after Frequency: 1x daily, 7 days a week;
Boar exposure
first insemination Although returns could appear at any time,
special attention should be given to females
between 18 24 days after first insemination
Ultrasound between Should be used for confirmation of pregnancy
Ultrasound
21 -28 days after first insemination after an adequate boar exposure

REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE BELOW EXPECTATIONS

TABLE 3.10: PRE-IMPLANTATION EVENTS LEADING TO A REPRODUCTIVE FAILURE
TARGET (% OF THE
RESULT ON FARM EFFECT CAUSE
FEMALES BRED)
Return 1 17 days Poor heat detection;
Early returns Rarely seen
after breeding Inappropriate breeding timing
No fertilization;
No pregnancy recognized at/
Return 18 24 days around 14-16 days after breeding;
< 4%
after breeding 100% embryo mortality
Regular returns
pre-implantation;
Less than 5 embryos implanted
Return 36 -48 days No heat detection of returns on
<0.5%
after breeding 18 24 days after breeding
Uterus infection at farrowing or,
Discharge and return more often, at breeding;
Vaginal discharge < 0.5%
1-3 days after Usually associated with 3 or more
services and/or late insemination

TABLE 3.11: POST-IMPLANTATION EVENTS LEADING TO A REPRODUCTIVE FAILURE

TARGET (% OF THE
RESULT ON FARM EFFECT CAUSE
FEMALES BRED)
Return 25-35 days Embryo mortality
Irregular returns < 0.5%
after breeding 17/21 to 28/31 days
Termination of gestation after
Abort < 1%
35 days of gestation

3-6
TABLE 3.12: CONTROLLING LONGER WEAN TO SERVICE INTERVAL
POTENTIAL
SITUATION INTERVENTION
REASON
Understand the reasons why the staff is skipping sows;
Mitigate massive body weight losses in in farrowing;
Gilt body weight at first breeding within 300 to 350 lbs;
Proper body conditioning; do not bump feed in
Management late gestation, except gilts in ideal body condition;
Skipping sows
decisions Keep farrowing rooms cool;
Daily identification of non-eaters to implement
individual treatments;
Group parity 1 females together after the weaning to
focus efforts in feeding and boar exposure
Low number of Challenge younger parity females with 14+ good piglets;
pigs nursed; Room preparation and hygiene;
Estrus in farrowing Litter scours; Vaccine program against digestive pathogens;
Massive and out of Reduce fostering events. Remember that no movement
control fostering is better than wrong movement
House boars away from weaned sows;
Use well rested boars with high libido;
Make sure weaned sows are boar exposed and heat
detected from the same day of weaning;
Truly undetected Low boarpower;
Farm management must ensure enough man-hours are
estrus Low manpower
being dedicated to boar expose and heat detection in
wean area;
Weekends and holidays are always a challenge from the
manpower point of view
A female that is in
Exacerbated and/or fear wont show a
Control/mitigate stressor(s)
continuous stress good expression
of its estrus
Rule mycotoxins out;
Non-active ovaries Mycotoxins in feed If found, ask your nutritionist for ways
to control their effect

TABLE 3.13: VARIATIONS ABOVE AND BELOW BREED TARGET

SOURCE OF VARIATION INTERVENTION
Raise gilts according to specifications;
Gilt flow Farm management must know gilt availability for the next 3 and 6 weeks;
Ensure the targeted number heat-no-services per week is met
Replacement rate Transitory adjustments can be made
Trigger interventions as soon as the intervention level is passed;
Sow mortality
Tweak culling process and gilt selection process

NEVER STOP IMPROVING

3-7
 TABLE 3.14: DEVIATIONS FROM NORMAL/IDEAL BODY CONDITION
CONDITION INTERVENTIONS
Ideally use more than just one way to evaluate body condition
(feed usage plus visual evaluation or caliper);
Too heavy
Adjust feed boxes to make it consistent with the nutritionists indications;
(> 20% of heavy females
Do not bump feed in late gestation;
in gestation)
Minimize the number of skipped sows after weaning;
Control incidence of returns
Make sure the gilts are bred in the recommended body weight range
(see Table 2.1);
Maximize feed intake in lactation:
1. Train gilts pre-farrow on how/where to drink starting the first day
housed in farrowing;
Skinny 2. Allow free access to fresh feed prior to farrowing
(from 112 days of gestation);
3. Daily identification of non-eaters and treat fever post-farrowing;
4. Daily check of drinkers and cleaning up of feeders;
Maximize feed intake in weaned sows;
Evaluate chances to really improve body condition or decide to cull

3.15: GENERAL INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE FARROWING RATE AND/OR LITTER SIZE

RISK FACTOR INTERVENTIONS
Make sure gilts get their last vaccine at least 3 weeks prior to the first breeding;
Avoid feed outages/feed restrictions in gilts prior to the first breeding;
Minimize the number of sows lactating less than 18 days;
Avoid creating conditions to have sows in estrus while in farrowing;
Production flow
If working on batch farrowing, ensure the farm is properly staffed the weeks
where high number of breeds are performed;
Skip/cull sows in heat 7 to 14 days after weaning;
Avoid transferring sows in between services
Make sure heat detection and breeding are both performed well
Breeding timing every single day;
Breed only females in solid heat
Consider to cull females according to the culling criteria presented
Female
in Section 7
Provide air, water, feed and absence of fear;
If aggressions are seen, identify the aggressor and separate to place where no
Stress animal can be injured;
Separate injured animals and treat them according to your
herd veterinarian instructions

3-8
Section 4:

GROUP HOUSING

This section gives an overview of sow housing options.

There are different types of group housing systems and each
has pros and cons. Regardless of the type of sow housing,
PIC recommends to have the same production targets as in
individually housed facilities.
TABLE 4.1: COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT GROUP HOUSING SYSTEMS
FREE FLOOR
TRAIT INDIVIDUAL STANCHIONS ESF OUTDOOR
ACCESS FEEDING
Body Condition Management ++++ +++ ++ +++ ++++ +
Aggressions x x xxx xx xx x
Building / Retro Fitting Costs x xxx x x xxx x
Running Costs x xx xx xx xx xx
Ease of Management ++++ +++ +++ +++ ++ +
Gestation feed usage/sow/year x xx xxx xx x xxxx
Space per sow x xxx xx xx xx xxx
Key: + Poor, ++ Acceptable, +++ Good, ++++Very good;
x Lower, xx Moderate, xxx Higher.

NEVER STOP IMPROVING

4-1
 FLOWS AND GROUP SIZE
Different flows can be implemented to optimize the performance in each type of group housing system.
The flows can differ in terms of mixing time (pre- or post-implantation) and group integrity (static or
dynamic). The size of the farm and breeding groups will also be a factor for optimal performance.

TABLE 4.2: COMPARISON BETWEEN PRE- AND POST-IMPLANTATION FLOWS

PRE-IMPLANTATION POST-IMPLANTATION
Maximum utilization of pens during gestation Fair utilization of pens during gestation
(16 weeks); (12 or less weeks);
Less forgiving Problems within 1st 4 weeks of More forgiving moving during a time when
gestation tend to be more impacting; pregnancy is more stable;
Small window of time to load pens; Important processes (heat/preg check) still done
Important processes done differently: no time in individual spaces
to recover body condition, find space for
returns, heat checking, preg check

TABLE 4.3: COMPARISON BETWEEN STATIC AND DYNAMIC FLOWS

STATIC DYNAMIC
Better usage of space;
Less optimization of space compared to dynamic; Physical integrity of the breeding group
Easier to manage; is disrupted;
Retains physical integrity of breeding group Perhaps easier on the animals
(larger dynamic pens)

TABLE 4.4: COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT GROUP SIZES

GROUP SIZE CHARACTERISTICS
The group is large enough to minimize or eliminate social hierarchy;
More than 150 individuals
Frequently used with ESF pre-implantation dynamic flows
Structured to match either the size of a breeding group
and/or the capacity of a particular feeding unit;
20 to 150 individuals
Frequently used with ESF post-implantation;
Static flows and free access
Group is typically chosen to have similar body condition, parity
5 to 20 individuals and weight, and to have similar feed requirements;
Frequently used with floor feeding and stanchions

ESF
ESF, or Electronic Sow Feeding, is one of the available options of feeding in group housing in the indus-
try. This system can also be a platform on top of which more technology for the daily farm management
can be applied.

4-2
TABLE 4.5: ESF KEY POINTS
KEY POINTS JUSTIFICATION
Gestation feed intake disruptions avoidance;
Promote gilt retention rate and consistency in breeding target;
Proper gilt training The key in the process is to NOT stress the gilts;
Consider training maximum of 40 gilts per station;
Expect a maximum of 3% un-trainable gilts
Gilts tend to go through catabolic period due to feed restriction
during training;
Gilt full feed prior breeding
After gilts are trained, it is crucial to allow 2 or more weeks of full
feed prior breeding to achieve full performance
Feed disruptions along the gestation will lead to reproductive
failures. The sooner the farm has an action with a non-eater sow, the
Daily non-eater checking
better the outcome;
Consider checking the non-eater no later than the next day
Although they are group housed, they are fed individually, following
preplanned feeding curves;
Calibrate feed stations in a monthly basis or in every feed change,
Feeding management adjust feed curves based on body condition on every 30 days
of gestation;
If wet feeding is utilized, it should have the consistency of oatmeal
in the bowl
Without the proper ESF station functioning, the sows will have
difficulties to accomplish all necessary feed intake;
Feed station maintenance Check on a daily basis the water and feed dilution, feed dropping
from the bin, movement sensor working, # of sows missing to eat
every day, and the antennas reading tags
More than only checking non-eaters, farm should have daily
individual sow care. Check for lameness, abortions, vulva biting,
Daily pen checking
sows in heat, fight scars, sick or dead animals and any sow in
need of assistance
With the technology applied, the mindset should be changed to run
the ESF farm. Successful farms have people open to changes,
People profile
pro-active profile, disciplined, open to new ways to produce and with
belief in the system
Projects considering less than 20 sq. ft. require another look,
with more projects being designed to consider 22 sq. ft. for gilts and
24 sq. ft. for adult sows;
Gilt segregation will increase chances to accomplish full performance
Proper flow and facilities in P1s;
Avoid mixing sows in the embryonic implantation period
(after day 4 to 28 of gestation). Have in mind that more sows per
feed station will bring more chances to have more non-eater sows on
a daily basis
Gilt selection and culling practices should not be different from
what should be the standards in individual housed sows but a less
Selection and culling prac- thorough selection and culling process are less forgiving in ESF and
tices group housing settings;
In pre-implantation flows, consider a maximum of 10% of removals
per group and 5% in post-implantation flows

NEVER STOP IMPROVING

4-3
 TROUBLE-SHOOTING
The most common issues reported by producers across the globe in group housing are
(1) aggressions, (2) low retention and (3) poor farrowing rate.

TABLE 4.6: STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE AGGRESSIONS

RISK FACTOR INTERVENTION
Have feed available when loading the pen;
Feed/appetite Full feed for 2 days;
Start feeding process at the same time every day
If farm size allows, group by body condition, parity and in some situations
Age/weight
by genetic line
Have a mature vasectomized (older than 11 months of age) boar in the
pen for the first 1 or 2 days;
Have solid partitions to create safety areas;
Nervousness
If not possible to segregate by weight and parity, load younger females
first and later in the day the older ones;
Hanging chains or other toys have created some helpful distraction
Check water availability;
General environment
Aggressive ventilation can help sometimes

TABLE 4.7: STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE LOW SOW RETENTION AND LOW FARROWING RATE
RISK FACTOR INTERVENTION
Thorough selection based on leg structure and hoof integrity;
Gilt program Maximize the proportion of gilts meeting the requirements for eligibility and
bred at/after second heat
Proactively identify sows that are lame or dont eat and treat them
according to your herd veterinarian instructions. Segregate the individual
to a recovery space;
Problem sows
Avoid marginal sows at breeding;
Skip heat on the youngest females if there are enough females
to hit breeding target

4-4
Section 5:

FARROWING MANAGEMENT

This section provides recommendations for farrowing

management. These recommendations aim to optimize
throughput and quality of weaned pigs, while managing sows
in a way that will allow quick and efficient return to estrus
post-weaning.
GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Executing the right management at the right time has become more important to maximize piglet con-
version with good quality pigs at weaning.

TABLE 5.1: SETTING THE FARROWING ENVIRONMENT

AREA GOAL
Manage rooms under AI/AO system;
Use hot water and detergent when washing farrowing facilities;
Cleanliness & Disinfection
Use disinfectant in the dose recommended by the supplier;
Facility dried prior to loading sows
All functional;
Heat sources Heat lamps bulbs cleaned for maximum energy efficiency;
Creep area set to the right temperature (90-95F)
Mats Mats are cleaned, disinfected, dried and in place
All fans, heat sources, nipple drinkers, feed distribution and feeders
Equipment functioning before loading;
Hot boxes, if present are cleaned, disinfected and dried
Ventilation/temperature Rooms with desired temperature and air flow;
control system Controls are reset for newly farrowed piglets
In place, stored in a clean container, complete and ready to be used
Supplies
(medicines, syringes, plastic sleeves, lube, towels)
5-1
 TABLE 5.2: HOUSING RECOMMENDATIONS
MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION
70-74F at farrowing. 74-76F on deep pitt rooms;
Room temperature From the day after farrowing, gradually dropping room temperature to
66F by day 7-10 of age and onward
Cold weather: 20 cfm/head;
Ventilation
Hot weather: 650 cfm/head
Humidity < 65 %
Farrowing space 6 ft wide x 8 ft most common in new facilities for 22-24 day old weaned pig
It seems like cast iron is the preferred material for sows but other material
Flooring can also work well;
Woven wire and plastic are both broadly utilized for the piglet area

TABLE 5.3: FEEDING RECOMMENDATIONS

MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION
Clean, fresh and available (> gallon per minute);
Water sources Ensure > 5 gallons per day per head;
If nipple drinker, avoid spary water by controlling high pressure
Diet Lactation
Unrestricted access to fresh feed, even from 2-3 days prior to farrowing,
Feeding strategy
when sows arrived with the right body condition

TABLE 5.4: PIGLET EARLY CARE

MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION
Count and record on the sows ID card to avoid having a sow
Teat count
nursing more piglets than that number
Avoid inducing more than 30% of sows, focusing on sows
parity 5 and up, sows with history of having stillborns;
Last sows of the room to tighten up farrowings and weaning age;
Farrowing induction and Consider the farm gestation length before implementing
use of oxytocin farowing induction as a tool. In general, we do not recommend
inducing before 115 days of gestation;
Oxytocin dose is 10 UI, applied 2x maximum,
with shots 2 hours apart
Sow body temperature Rectal temperature > 103.5F must be treated to contain fever
Monitor sows every 20 minutes;
If no new wet pig(s) is/are found, consider sleeving. When sow is
Farrowing assistance
having normal contractions and is not being exhausted sleeving
could be considered to be postponed to 20 minutes later
To have 2 heat sources (fully operative) and 2 mats;
Chilling prevention and control Temperature in the creep area must 90-95F;
> 90% of piglets born while staff is present should be dried off
As long as the staff is present, ensure colostrum intake within the
first 30 minutes after birth;
Only split-suckle extreme litters (more pigs than functional teats)
Colostrum intake within 24 hours from farrowing. Larger piglets should be
separated for 90 minutes in hot boxes;
200 cc of colostrum on day 1 seems to increase survivability of
lighter pigs by 4 to 5 times
Take 15-16 runts from different litters and place them on a
Runt litters parity 2 female with small teats;
Runt piglets must be healthy and active

5-2
TABLE 5.5: DAY 1 PROCESSING
MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION
If managing teeth, prefer grinding;
Teeth
Do it immediately after birth
Prefer to keep it long (3 to 5 inches);
Umbilical cord Avoid pulling it;
Disinfection by dipping it on iodine solution
Drying pigs off Use disposable paper, towel and/or dehydrant powder
If possible, try to avoid it for the first 48 of hours of life with the
Ear notching/tattooing
exception of Production Nucleus farms.

TABLE 5.6: DAY 3 TO 5 PROCESSING

The following table includes general recommendations. Make sure the processing you follow respect
local regulations.
MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATION
Applied to every single piglet;
Iron
Basic dose is 200 mg but your herd veterinarian may suggest another dose
Performed to every piglet;
Tail docking Length should be about inches unless otherwise stated
by different company policies or local laws
All male piglets should be castrated,
Castration
unless otherwise stated by company policies or local laws
When coccidial scour is confirmed prevalent,
Anti-coccidia
implement a treatment after asking your herd veterinarian

WEANING AGE/LACTATION LENGTH

The topic of weaning age and lactation length usually generates debate and it is unlikely that
consensus will be achieved soon. It is generally accepted that longer lactations tend to produce a heavier
piglet at weaning and a better reproductive performance in the sows subsequent cycle. PIC adds a
complementary view: higher feed intake in lactation is the factor most correlated with high performance
in the subsequent cycle. Our recommendation is avoid weaning individual piglets before 18 days of
lactation, with a minimum average of 21-23 days.

NEVER STOP IMPROVING

5-3
 TROUBLE-SHOOTING CHECKLISTS
It is very common to find the following three concerns or issues in the farrowing house: low water/feed
intake in sows, scours and elevated PWM.

TABLE 5.7: TROUBLE-SHOOTING POOR FEED INTAKE AND LOW MILK PRODUCTION
RISK FACTOR RECOMMENDATION
If too young, understand why the herd is having low retention rate and
Herd Age control culling and mortality;
If too old, work on increasing replacement rate
Right temperature (follow temperature curve);
Enough fresh water available;
Good quality feed;
Environment
Feeders minimize wastage;
Avoid excessive fostering events;
Avoid noisy farrowing rooms
Healthy farm and healthy animals;
Hoof integrity optimized;
Health
Farrowing assistance program to avoid retained pigs/placenta;
Scrape manure daily until 3 days after farrowing

TABLE 5.8: TROUBLE-SHOOTING LAID-ONS

RISK FACTOR RECOMMENDATION
If too young, understand why the herd is having low retention rate and
Herd Age control culling and mortality;
If too old, work on increasing replacement rate
Body Condition Make sure >90% of sows going to farrowing are in ideal body condition
Avoid jumpy sows by providing feed, water, and ventilation;
Environment Avoid excessive fostering events;
Avoid noisy farrowing rooms
Health Hoof integrity optimized

TABLE 5.9: TROUBLE-SHOOTING SCOURS

RISK FACTOR RECOMMENDATION
If too young, understand why the herd is having low retention rate and
Herd Age
control culling and mortality
Right piglet micro-environment in terms of temperature and
absence of air drafts;
Heat and ventilation sources working consistently;
Environment Avoid excessive fostering events;
Do not step into the farrowing space;
Disinfect mats overnight with chlorine;
Materials and equipment must be disinfected
Ask your herd veterinarian how to maximize immunity against
Health digestive pathogens;
Ensure colostrum intake

5-4
Section 6:

BATCH FARROWING

Batch farrowing is the concentration of farrowings in a

specific week. It is important to understand the potential
benefits and costs required for the execution of a batch
farrowing flow to ensure the return exceeds the investment.
This section summarizes pros and cons of batch farrowing
as well as best practices to optimize performance in systems
that farrow in batches.
TABLE 6.1: BATCH FARROWING PROS AND CONS
PROS CONS
Wean more pigs in a shorter period of time to Synchronization of gilts, returns and
load finishing barns quicker and with pigs of late weaners;
similar age; Increased non-productive-days;
Control the effect of certain pathogens in Less flexible breeding target;
farrowing, nursery and finishing; Potential drop on number of weaned pigs;
Efficiencies on labor utilization, animal Fall behind piglet management;
transport and semen deliveries Adjustment to new semen production schedule

NEVER STOP IMPROVING

6-1
 TYPE OF BATCHES
Although it is possible to have batch farrowing in 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks flow, the most common are the
3 and 4 weeks flow. The resulting lactation length and differences among space and flow will impact the
decision of which one to implement.

TABLE 6.2: COMPARISON AMONG DIFFERENT BATCH FARROWING FLOWS

2 3 4 5
TRAIT
WEEKS FLOW WEEKS FLOW WEEKS FLOW WEEKS FLOW
Lactation length, days 19-20 26-27 19-20 26-27
Total # of batches 10 7 5 4
# of batches in lactation
2 2 1 1
at the same time
Annual farrowing space turns
13 9 13 10
per year
Over a 4 weeks Over a 3 weeks In 2 out of the in 2 out of the
Labor distribution spreading
period period 4 weeks 5 weeks

RECONVERTING FROM WEEKLY FLOW TO BATCH FARROWING

When changing from weekly flow to batch farrowing, some processes will have to be changed as well.
Prior to implementation, it is important to check the points in the checklist below to avoid getting
surprises of unexpected struggles that can jeopardize the process.

CHECK-LIST KEY POINTS TO CHECK PRIOR TO BATCH FARROWING IMPLEMENTATION

Coordinate with semen supplier to ensure the larger number of doses will be available and supplied
in a shorter time.
Ensure that there is enough semen cooler storage capacity to hold the large number of doses the
farm will need in the insemination period.
Check the necessity of extra space in gestation to wean a larger number of sows per time than usual.
Check water availability to account for all the water needed to power wash the rooms at once.
Make sure electric circuit is able to handle more power washers than usual at once.
Consider lactation feed bins to account for differences in feed intake pattern.
If synchronizing animals with synthetic progestagen, have a clear plan about how and
where to utilize it.

6-2
KEY POINTS
The key points below are crucial to the success of batch farrowing in a sow farm.
Generally speaking, proper husbandry practices continue to be important to the success of the flow.

TABLE 6.3: KEY POINTS IN BATCH FARROWING

KEY POINTS RECOMMENDATION
Need to assure the full intake of the product;
Need to administer it at the same time every day;
Gilt synchronization
Ideal to place gilts in individual stalls;
Ensure the products intake by pouring it on a slice of bread
Assure females are in proper body condition during gestation;
Have proper feed and water intake in lactation;
Wean to service interval
Have proper feed and water intake in wean to service interval;
Make sure teaser boars are in proper quantity and quality
Review gilt delivery numbers in case of not retaining open sows
or fixing breeding target holes;
Breeding target accomplishment
Check Gilt Synchronization above;
Check Wean to Service Interval above
Following culling protocols will be even more important in the
case of having open sows showing heat outside of the
Removal strategy breeding group;
Have the sow farm data properly organized;
Use sow records to take decisions on a daily basis
Have full team in the weeks when chores are concentrated;
Use weeks with lower workload to provide vacations and
time off for employees;
If implementing batch farrowing in more than one farm, ex-
Labor distribution
change people among farms. Have a good identification of
potential candidates in advance and make sure biosecurity rules
are followed;
Consider using gestation people in farrowing and vice-versa

NEVER STOP IMPROVING

6-3
6-4
Section 7:

PARITY STRUCTURE

Parity structure is the balance of sow mortality rate, culling rate

and replacement rate against hog market price and feed cost.
Parity structure can influence both biological and economical performance. Therefore it is important to
have a good understanding of the factors involved to better manage parity structures and, ultimately,
maximize long term profitability. This section provides best practices to optimize parity structures as a
performance lever.

GRAPH 7.1: CALCULATED BREEDING GROUP STRUCTURE BY DIFFERENT REPLACEMENT RATES

25% Annual replacement rate: 45% 55% 65%

23%

20%
20% 19%
% of breeding group

17% 17%
16% 16% 16%
15% 15%
15% 14% 14% 14%
13%
12% 12%
11%
10% 10%
10%
7%

5%
5%
2%
1% 1%

0%
P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7+
Parities

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 GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Success or failure of establishing the best parity structure depends on how proactive and prepared the
system is to retain the right animals or cull the potentially risky or unpredictable ones. The key points to
consider are gilt availability, gilt selection rate, individual sow care and culling strategy.

GILT AVAILABILITY
Gilt availability is the first element to achieve the proper replacement rate and parity structure in
the system. The proper multiplication size to supply the required number of gilts is usually around
10% to 12% of the commercial sow herd inventory. It is important to be realistic with the performance of
a multiplication unit. Beyond multiplication size, the critical control points below will also contribute to
optimized gilt availability in the system:

TIMELINE 7.1: CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS ON GILT AVAILABILITY COMING FROM THE
MULTIPLICATION UNIT.

Sow Gilt Gilt Mortality Gilt

Breeding
Performance Identification from Birth Selection
Target
(FR and BA) at Birth to Selection Process

GILT SELECTION
Gilt selection plays an essential role in the process of entering the right animals to the sow farm, so the
best sows can be retained for a longer time. For more information, review Tables 2.4 and 2.5 in the
Gilt Management Section.

INDIVIDUAL SOW CARE

The population should be inspected at least once a day to identify early issues that can potentially affect
the performance and well-being of the sows.

Even in healthy and age-stable farms, every week many individual sows are treated against specific
threatening conditions to prevent mortality and production flow shortages. PIC advises to be properly
set up in terms of supplies and manpower. When the individual treatment rate is below or above the
intervention level, further investigation is advised to better understand the cause. Keep in mind that
many variables can influence the treatment rate, such as health status, body condition, productivity,
facilities, type and quality of floor, environment, just to name a few.

TABLE 7.1: INDIVIDUAL TREATMENTS IN A SOW FARMS

INDIVIDUAL TREATMENTS
Expected number of treatments initiated every week 2-3% of the average sow inventory
Further investigation is needed < 1% or > 4%

When the number of affected animals is greater than 10% of the population, it may be necessary to
apply group treatment by water or feed adjustments. Always ask you herd veterinarian for directions.

CULLING STRATEGY
Culling is the main opportunity to eliminate animals that are not producing according to the
expectations or that have a considerable potential to bring future issues and are not needed to maintain
the throughput. It is always important to have the breeding target in mind when making decisions about
culling, so the farm does not run out of breeding sows.

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TABLE 7.2: BASIC CULLING STRATEGY GUIDELINES
CULLING TYPE CULLING REASON STRATEGY
Old age (P7+) Cull
Voluntary
Low Performance < 20 Total Born last 2 parities
1x Return Cull P3+
2x Return
Discharges
Aborts and NIPs
Severe mastitis
Involuntary Cull
Lame at breeding
Gilts not in heat 6 wks after the
beginning of boar exposure
Poor body condition
Late weaners or early weaners Cull parity 3 and older

TABLE 7.3: ANNUAL CULLING TARGETS AND EXPECTED VOLUNTARY/INVOLUNTARY

CULLING DISTRIBUTION
TARGET
CRITERIA
OUT OF THE AVERAGE SOW INVENTORY
Voluntary < 30%
Reproductive failure < 10%
Unsoundness & others < 5%
Total Culling 40 to 50%

TROUBLE SHOOTING HIGH SOW MORTALITY AND LOW RETENTION RATE

High sow mortality and low retention rate unbalance the farms parity structure, leading to
(1) retention of marginal sows;
(2) a lower selection pressure of the replacement gilts;
(3) decreased sow inventory, and/or
(4) higher costs with extra gilt entries.

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 TABLE 7.4: SOW MORTALITY AND POOR RETENTION RATE CAUSES, AND POINTS TO REVIEW
CAUSES IMPACT POINTS TO REVIEW
Gilt square footage;
Boar exposure;
Poor retention Feeding management;
Gilts with
rate up to Water availability;
no heat
parity 3 Gilt acclimation;
Gilt growth;
Quality of heat detection process, including staffing
Gilt selection;
Gilt weight at breeding;
Size/weight of heat detecting boars in gilt pens;
High sow
Gilt body weight gain in gestation;
mortality
Lameness Sow body condition;
and poor
Feed adjustments over gestation phase;
retention rate
Individual sow care;
Floor quality and maintenance;
Ventilation
Gilt acclimation;
Gastric ulcers; High sow Individual sow care;
pneumonia; mortality Feed: feed particle size; feed quality (moldy?);
mycotoxins and poor Feed disruptions/outages;
in feed retention rate Ventilation specifications;
Vaccination process
Body condition prior to farrowing;
Feeding management from farrowing
to breeding;
Late weaners Individual sow care;
Number/weight of nursed piglets;
Boar exposure and heat detection process quality;
Water availability
Semen quality;
Heat detection process;
Returns Insemination process;
Feeding management in all phases;
Movements, mixing and fighting after breeding
Reproductive Poor retention
failures rate
Heat detection process;
Hygiene during insemination process;
Water availability;
Vaginal
Semen quality;
Discharge
Insemination timing;
Too many third services;
Quality of feed (moldy?)
Movements, mixing and fighting after breeding;
Gilt immunity;
Water and feed availability;
Abortions
Individual sow care;
Vaccination process;
Ventilation specifications

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PIC North America

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