Identifying problem sows in the next batch

When was the last time the breeding guys were in the farrowing house?

It should be the day before weaning!

The breeding stockperson should examine the lactating sows and record all the sows which are likely to cause problems in the breeding area.

Clearly identify which sows are likely to have an extended wean to service interval?

1^st parity sows – by one day Sows which have not eaten well – by 1-4 days Sows which have a short lactation – less than 17 days In addition all sows intended for culling should be moved into the cull but bred pens. These sows will be culled.

These sows should be then placed either separately or at least at the end of the breeding row.

When combined with gestation parking these sows should be placed in the problem balance area.

Batch Farrowing Place number + Problem balance area

For example if the batch target is 20 batch farrowing places per batch, the problem balance area would be 5 sows a batch for a farm with 82% farrowing rate.

20 + 5 = Batch breeding target = 25

This can reduce the movement of sows around the gestation area

Batch breeding target – how many sows should I mate this batch?