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Body development in sows, feed intake and maternal capacity. Part 1: performance, pre-breeding and lactation feed intake traits of primiparous sows1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2011

C. R. G. Lewis  and
K. L. Bunter
C. R. G. Lewis*
Affiliation:
Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia
K. L. Bunter
Affiliation:
Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia
*
†E-mail: clewis21@une.edu.au
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Abstract

This study examined the genetic and phenotypic associations between finisher performance, pre-breeding body condition of the gilt, subsequent lactation feed intake and survival of the primiparous sow to farrow in the second parity. Complete data were available on ∼2200 sows, along with additional cohort and historical performance data. Genetic variation was observed for average lactation feed intake (heritability: 0.18 ± 0.04), with a significant proportion of observed variation in average intake attributable to variation in lactation length. Weight and body condition (fatness) at finishing were very highly correlated genetically (0.89 ± 0.03 and 0.90 ± 0.02) and moderately correlated phenotypically (0.58 ± 0.01 and 0.58 ± 0.01) with weight and body condition before mating. Estimates of genetic (rg) and phenotypic (rp) correlations between feed intake recorded at finishing and average lactation feed intake (LADI) were moderate (rg = 0.26 ± 0.16 and 0.42 ± 0.22) and low (rp = 0.07 ± 0.02 and 0.08 ± 0.03), with rg dependent on the models and data subsets used for lactation intake. Non-unity genetic correlations imply that different genetic control mechanisms regulate feed intake during growth and lactation. Moderate genetic correlations between lactation feed intake with live weight (TWT) or growth rate (TADG) recorded at selection and live weight before mating (0.42 ± 0.11, 0.42 ± 0.11 and 0.37 ± 0.15) were considerably higher than the corresponding phenotypic correlations for LADI with TADG or 29WT (0.09 ± 0.02 and 0.08 ± 0.02). Correlations between fatness at selection (TFAT) or mating (29FT) and LADI were negative but not significantly different from 0. Overall, these data suggest that there is exploitable genetic variation for feed intake during lactation, and that selection is possible if lactation feed intakes are recorded. However, genetic correlations suggest that early growth seems to be related to lactation feed intake capacity. There was generally no strong evidence that selection for lean growth potential in dam lines will substantially diminish sow lactation intake capacity as a correlated response.

Keywords

heritabilitygenetic parameterslongevitystayabilitygilt selection criteria.
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 5 , Issue 12 , 10 November 2011 , pp. 1843 - 1854
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2011

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Footnotes

1

AGBU is a joint venture of NSW I&I and the University of New England.

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