Factors Associated with Farrowing Duration in Hyperprolific Sows in a Free Farrowing System under Tropical Conditions

Simple Summary Sows in most breeding herds worldwide have larger litters than several years ago. One of the most important problems when using these genetics is the prolonged duration of farrowing, which can cause postpartum complications in sows and increase the percentage of stillborn piglets per litter. In this retrospective study, we found that the farrowing duration of sows kept in a free farrowing system in a tropical environment was associated with several factors. A high number of piglets born per litter, a high parity number, parturition during working hours, and high temperature and humidity in the 7 days before parturition led to a prolonged farrowing duration. In these sows, farrowing was longer than the acceptable farrowing duration, which may cause a higher number of stillborn piglets. Therefore, management for sows during the perinatal period needs to be considered, especially in hyperprolific and older sows, as well as those that farrow during working hours. The ongoing selection for increased litter size has had significant impacts on sow husbandry practice. The present study investigated factors associated with farrowing duration and the proportion of sows that had prolonged farrowing in modern hyperprolific sows kept in a free farrowing system in a tropical environment. Farrowing data from 2493 Landrace x Yorkshire cross-bred sows in a commercial swine herd in Thailand were included in the study. The time of farrowing, parity number, litter size, and the birth status of each piglet were recorded. Farrowing duration was analysed using multiple analyses of variance. Total number of piglets born per litter (TB), parity, and time onset of farrowing were included in the statistical models. On average, TB, piglets born alive, and farrowing duration were 13.7, 12.1, and 221.0 min, respectively. Of these sows, 26.4% had TB >= 16 and 21.7% had a prolonged farrowing duration (>= 300 min). Farrowing duration was positively correlated with TB (r = 0.141, p < 0.001), percentage of stillborn (SB) piglets per litter (r = 0.259, p < 0.001), percentage of mummified foetuses (MF) per litter (r = 0.049, p = 0.015), piglet birth weight (r = 0.068, p < 0.001), and litter birth weight (r = 0.041, p = 0.043). The proportion of SB per litter was higher and piglet birth weight lower in litters that had >= 16 TB than those with 8-12 TB (p < 0.05). The farrowing duration of sows with parity numbers 5-7 (247.7 +/- 5.1 min) and 8-10 (237.1 +/- 5.1 min) was longer than that of sows with parity numbers 1 (188.3 +/- 5.2 min) and 2-4 (214.3 +/- 3.9 min) (p < 0.05). Sows that had started farrowing during working hours had longer farrowing durations (229.3 +/- 3.6 min) than those that had started farrowing during non-working hours (217.6 +/- 3.4 min, p = 0.017). In multiparous sows, the duration of farrowing was positively correlated with the maximum temperature (r = 0.056, p = 0.012) and the maximum temperature-humidity index (r = 0.059, p = 0.008) in the 7 days before farrowing. The present data confirm that TB, sow parity, and time of onset of farrowing are significant risk factors for a prolonged farrowing.

Automated summary

Sows in most breeding herds worldwide have larger litters than several years ago. Prolonged farrowing duration is a common problem when using these genetics, which can lead to postpartum complications in sows and higher percentage of stillborn piglets per litter. This retrospective study found that the factors associated with farrowing duration in sows kept in a free farrowing system in a tropical environment include high litter size, high parity number, parturition during working hours, and high temperature and humidity before parturition.