Reproductive Management Of Swine

Swine reproductive management is a multifaceted discipline that has both developmental and functional components. The biggest challenge for replacement boars and sows during the developmental phase is the establishment of physiological benchmarks that are correlated with their adult reproductive performance. Birthweight and weaning weights appear to have strong positive relationship lifetime sperm and piglet production in boars and sows, respectively. Their refinement and use in selection programs should be enthusiastically pursued. Delaying training for semen collection towards the end of their pubertal development appears to be beneficial for lifetime productivity in boars while inducing puberty early and breeding at subsequent estrous periods is positively correlated with adult reproductive performance in gilts. The primary emphasis for both during the functional phase is creating management conditions that minimize their exposure to environmental stressors. A working knowledge of the physiology associated with spermatogenesis and the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy is absolutely critical for this process. The importance of colostrum in the development of both male and female reproductive organs; identification of sperm characteristics that have a quantitative relationship with boar fertility; and use of nutritional programming to enhance embryonic and fetal development in sows are areas of future research that hold potential for further enhancements in reproductive efficiency for the swine industry.