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Genetic aspects regarding piglet losses and the maternal behaviour of sows. Part 1. Genetic analysis of piglet mortality and fertility traits in pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2008

B. Hellbrügge ,
K.-H. Tölle ,
J. Bennewitz ,
C. Henze ,
U. Presuhn  and
J. Krieter
B. Hellbrügge
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
K.-H. Tölle
Affiliation:
Chamber of Agriculture Schleswig-Holstein, LVZ Futterkamp, D-24732 Blekendorf, Germany
J. Bennewitz
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
C. Henze*
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
U. Presuhn
Affiliation:
Farm concepts GmbH & Co. KG, D-23812 Wahlstedt, Germany
J. Krieter
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
*
E-mail: chenze@tierzucht.uni-kiel.de
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Abstract

In spite of the improvement in management and the breeding goal of increasing the number of piglets born alive, piglet mortality is still a substantial problem in pig breeding. The objective of the first part of the study was to estimate genetic parameters for different causes of piglet losses and to investigate the relationship to litter-size traits. Data were collected on a nucleus herd from January till December 2004. Records from 943 German Landrace sows with 1538 pure-bred litters and 13 971 individually weighted piglets were included. Four different causes of piglet losses (LOSS) were evaluated. Additional analysed traits were underweight and runting. Furthermore, the fertility traits number of piglets born alive, born in total and stillborn piglets as well as the individual birth and weaning weights were analysed. The different LOSS were treated as a binary trait and subsequently the heritabilities were estimated using a threshold model. The most important LOSS was crushing under the sow (12.4%). The survival rate and crushing had a heritability of h2 = 0.03. The fertility traits piglets born alive, born in total and stillborn piglets were analysed with a linear model and heritabilities rank from h2 = 0.05 (stillborn) to h2 = 0.10 (born alive). The estimated heritabilities for birth- and weaning weight were both h2 = 0.10. The genetic correlations between number of piglets born alive and each LOSS trait were analysed bivariately. Of all piglets born alive 84.3% survive the lactation period. Survival decreased with increasing litter size (rg = −0.54 up to −0.78) and the probability of being crushed under the sow increased.

Keywords

causes of lossescorrelationheritabilitypiglet mortalitysurvival rate
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 2 , Issue 9 , September 2008 , pp. 1273 - 1280
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2008

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