Standard Operating Procedures for Sows and Piglets in Farrowing and Lactation in Japanese Commercial Herds

The objectives of the present study were to advance the development of standard operating procedures for sows and piglets during farrowing and lactation in Japanese herds by surveying management procedures and to examine the relationships between the procedures and herd reproductive performance. In 2009, 115 herds using the same recording system were asked to complete a questionnaire about their management procedures. Data from 96 (83.5%) returned questionnaires were coordinated with the respective herd reproductive performance. The participating herds were classified into two groups based on the upper 25th percentile of pigs weaned per mated female per year: high-performing (>23.8 pigs) or ordinary herds. ANOVA was used to compare the procedures between two herd groups: Modeling with backward elimination was performed to establish the most important procedures for herd performance. More high-performing herds practiced farrowing induction and high-performing herds also had a higher percentage of farrowing-induced sows than ordinary herds (P<0.05). Modeling showed that herds feeding lactating sows with dietary fiber had 1.4% lower preweaning mortality risk than those that did not (P<0.05). Herds practicing fostering techniques or using nurse sows had 0.2 kg heavier average pig weaning weight than those not using these procedures (P<0.05). There was no association between pigs born alive and any of the surveyed management procedures. Based oil these results, we recommend improving performances in breeding herds by feeding lactating sows with dietary fiber, performing fostering techniques and using nurse sows.