If you are a pork producer, one of your main goals, more likely than not, is to keep your breeding boars and sows in good shape.
Infertility is not a problem you want to have in your pigs. So just what causes infertility, and how can you avoid it on your farm?
Infertility, by definition, means “not able to reproduce” – this is certainly not a problem you want to have with any another livestock.
There can be multiple causes of infertility in pigs. Often, breeding sows suffer from what is called “seasonal infertility.” Heat stress, brought on by the long, hot days of summer, can cause sows to have trouble breeding and maintaining a pregnancy.
Researchers at Iowa State University have conducted studies on seasonal infertility in breeding sows, and suspect that a spike in insulin levels triggered by heat stress may be a cause of seasonal infertility. Providing pigs with shade, wallows or a misting system can help ease their susceptibility to heat stress.
Infertility can also be caused by bacterial infections.
If a sow farrows in an unsanitary environment, her chances of getting a bacterial infection are much higher than if she farrows in a clean setting. Bacterial infections lead to reduced fertility during the sow’s next breeding period. Metritis, endometritis and vaginitis are the most common forms of bacterial infections to cause infertility.
The pigs’ living arrangement also plays a large role in their chances of being infertile. Poor nutrition, stress and uncomfortable living situations are all contributing factors as well.
Proper management of your pig herd can reduce the risk of infertility on your farm. “Management practices have a direct impact on fertility rates,” said Chelle Walrath, owner of Wild Bunch Farm in Mount Vernon, located in Lawrence County, Mo., of her Berkshire pigs. “In our small breeding herd, we are careful to manage for good nutrition, low stress and proper shelter.”
The Berkshire pigs at Wild Bunch Farm are raised outdoors, with access to forage and enough room to prevent overcrowding and pressuring from more dominant animals – overcrowding is one of the leading factors of stress in pigs.
Ensuring that your pigs are receiving proper nutrition is also essential to a successful breeding operation.
Having a feed analysis done on your rations is an excellent way to make sure your breeders are getting what they need. Careful observation of your pigs is also key.
“We consider body condition a pretty good indicator of how a boar or sow is doing in relation to fertility,” Walrath said. “Being too thin or too fat both cause issues with infertility.”
Providing your breeding pigs with a clean, healthy environment, proper nutrition, and some kind of shelter from the heat in the summer are all management practices that you can implement to help reduce infertility in the pigs on your farm.
