Building robust gilts improves herd productivity

Sow longevity

DanBred's tips to ensure robust gilts and improve herd productivity

Sow longevity is very important to pig producers. All producers aim for healthy sows that can produce as many vital piglets for weaning as possible in their productive lifetime.

Gilts represent the largest category of females in a herd [1] and they are the future sows. Therefore, focusing on gilt development can directly improve the sow’s productive lifetime. In order to achieve this, gilt development should be systemised: from feeding through management to selection – as every step is important.

Get more practical advice in our Sow & Gilt Manual →

Gilts are the foundation for high sow longevity

Lay the groundwork for high lifetime productivity by focusing on gilt development, which begins in the farrowing unit and follows your gilts into gestation and lactation.

To assist you, we have gathered our top tips for gilt development with well-defined goals and tasks for: selection of robust gilts, balanced feed strategy to reach optimal DanBred productivity, ideal housing conditions during growth, and day to day handling of gilts to help you achieve high lifetime productivity in your herd.

Selection of robust gilts – planning your production flow

When you are planning your production flow, it is important to make sure you know what criteria you are looking for. Take herd productivity and conditions into account, as these are important for the number of gilts needed in the herd. This will be necessary to make the needed calculations - both when you are buying in your gilts and when you are producing your own gilts on farm.

When you are buying gilts

You should:

Make sure the gilts delivered have an evenly spread age range. In order to maintain a steady production flow and ensure that you take herd productivity and seasonal changes into account when calculating the number of gilts needed.
Make time for Quality Assessment: upon arrival. Check the general exterior and condition of the gilts. How is the movement of the gilts? Does weight match according to age? And how is the general conformation of the gilts?
Register animal information upon arrival, including DanBred ID number, index, date of birth, and vaccinations administered.
Remember that gilts should be quarantined for at least 8 weeks before entering the sow herd. Monitor the animals’ health and general well-being daily and seek veterinary advice if any concerns arise.

When you are producing gilts

You should:

Maintain production flow by setting a target for number of gilts needed per batch in the farrowing unit. Use this number to calculate how many gilts should be mated and reared in each batch.
Include and systemise routines for quality assurance and selection. Selection of quality gilts starts in the farrowing unit and proceeds until the gilt is scanned to confirm pregnancy. The selection of gilts requires systematic and known routines across the board. You need to know your selection criteria and train your eyes to spot the differences at different ages.

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On-farm routines and selection targets at different ages

At birth

The gilts must be healthy, in good body condition, and have a minimum of 14 teats.

Ensure the piglets get enough colostrum by using split suckling.
Make sure to register all piglets with ear tags or a tattoo before moving them.
Equalise the litters to the number of piglets that the sow is able to nurse – taking into account the number of functional teats and her mothering abilities. When needed, it is recommended to make 2-step nurse sows to ensure all piglets optimal conditions.
Protect the front teats with an adhesive bandage/tape.

At 30 kg - 60 kg

Confirm a minimum of 14 teats.
Look for strong legs and good body conformation.
In some herds, it can be beneficial to give the gilts an extra ear tag with the DanBred ID to ensure easy visual identification.

Sort the gilts by weight and age – with a maximum weight difference of 10-15 kg – and keep them in small and stable groups.
Gilts must be assessed whenever they are moved to a new unit.

Young females must have optimal lines and proper leg position:

At 90 kg - 110 kg

Check young animals carefully with an overall assessment:

Make the gilts walk to assess if they move freely.
Remove gilts with conformation defects on legs, hooves and back, as they should be considered unfit for breeding.

Before first mating

Reaching the DanBred goals at first mating will promote lifetime productivity with many weaned piglets that maximise profitability in the herd.

DanBred recommends:

220-240 days of age
140-160 kg of weight
13-15 mm of backfat thickness
Mating in the 2^nd heat

In short, the selection of gilts starts when the female piglets are born, and they should be assessed throughout the rearing period: at least with every transfer between units, at weaning, at 30 kg, at 60 kg, between 90-110 kg, and before the final decision for the gilts to be mated and entered into production.

Feeding strategies to optimise reproductivity in your gilts

DanBred gilts are bred to have a huge potential for lean growth, which is why balancing feed energy levels, crude protein, lysine, and minerals according to the DanBred recommendations is imperative to promote the proper backfat levels and body condition. This, together with our management recommendations, will give the gilts the best start for life - and ensure the future of the herd.

Optimal feeding of DanBred gilts will ensure a steady, continuous - but controlled - weight gain throughout the growth-period. The target is to initiate puberty and the onset of the oestrus cycle, support the mammary development and maximise the productivity on litter size and sow longevity.

When feeding gilts

Restricted phase feeding is highly recommended

The aim should be around 825 g daily gain from 30 kg to 140 kg.
Check the weight according to age every week to ensure proper growth curves.
Restricted phase feeding with three diets from 30 kg until 140 kg is highly recommended.
Feed the gilts 2-3 times per day.
7-10 days before expected mating: start flushing with 3.5-4 kg feed per day to secure a strong heat - lactation feed is recommended.
Thin gilts (backfat thickness ˂ 14 mm) should be flushed from first heat until mating.
Gilts with 14-15 mm backfat or more should start flushing 5-7 days before mating [2].

If ad libitum feeding is only the option – adjust the feed accordingly

Reduce the amount of lysine and protein, and add fibres to the diet to control feed intake and daily gain. Balancing lysine and protein levels will ensure a moderated growth, optimal bone strength, and ideal backfat thickness.

The diet should be designed for gilts with a high content of minerals and a low content of energy.

DanBred’s nutrient specifications should be followed. Click here to find them.

Restricted phase feeding

Housing conditions during growth that supports high quality gilts

Housing conditions during the growth period is key to ensuring individual quality of the animals, especially when focusing on sow longevity and lifetime productivity. The conditions are important for animal welfare, but also the overall conformation of the gilts.

Keep in mind

It is recommended to house gilts in stable groups to avoid multiple ranking fights.
At weaning, it is not recommended to have more than 25-30 animals per pen.
Around 30 kg, each group should only consist of approximately 8 –12 animals per pen.
Gilts ≥ 110 kg should have a space allowance between 1.5 – 1.9 m² per animal. More space is always an advantage to promote movement and strength in the animals.
Avoid plastic slats after the weaner section. To achieve the best possible conformation, gilts above 20 kg should not be kept on plastic slats.
Easy access to feed and water. The pen layout must allow sufficient eating space for all gilts to support uniform growth.
Pen layout: it is an advantage if 2/3 of the pen has solid flooring and if the floor is kept dry and non-slippery.
Secure enough light: light can ensure a proper heat among gilts. Secure a minimum of 100 LUX at the eye level for 16 hours a day.

Daily management routines for calm high-quality gilts

For consistency and continuity in the rearing section, it is advised to appoint one person as responsible for setting the direction of the daily tasks, such as feeding, selection, backfat scanning, health inspection, and heat detection.

All gilts in all pens must be checked minimum one time per day

- Make sure to go into the pen and ensure that all gilts are seen up and in motion every day.
- Inspect the gilts while feeding, especially in the morning. Check legs and hooves while the gilts get up and walk around. Clean the floor also during this period, especially the solid floor, which in particular can be slippery and increase risk of splaying.
- Good stockmanship is crucial to rear gilts that are calm and easy to handle in the sow unit.
- Give the gilts positive human contact daily from a young age.
- Have a gentle and peaceful approach to the gilts when managing and moving them.

Introduce a health and welfare plan: assure longevity with an on-farm health and welfare programme

- Make a vaccination strategy with the herd veterinarian. Keep everyone involved informed of updates in herd health status.
- Have a plan for any treatments and medications administered. Register when, which animals have been treated and which medicine was used.
- Use relief/ hospital pens systematically: isolate animals in need of extra care due to disease or fighting.
- Check ventilation, feeding and watering system periodically. Make sure everything runs according to recommended standards.

Gilt development is crucial to improve the sow’s productive lifetime in your herd.

First and foremost, only the best candidates are selected as your future sows. When you purchase the gilts, ensure the best quality assessment upon arrival. And make sure the gilts are vaccinated against all relevant diseases. Finally, your gilts must have enough quarantine time before entering the herd. When you produce your own gilts, you should have clear selection targets and tasks – starting from when the piglets are born, during the growth period, and until the first mating.

Secondly, ensure the right feeding strategy for the DanBred gilts to reach optimum DanBred reproductivity.

Finally, the proper housing conditions and how well you handle the daily routines with the gilts are also essential focus points in order to be successful in gilt development and quality. These approaches may sound simple, but it is easier said than done. Therefore, it is important to make sure that everyone in the team understands how important the gilts are to the entire herd performance.

With DanBred’s top tips for gilt development in mind, you can improve the efficiency in your herd and ensure sustainable profitability – year after year.

References

[1] Carrión-López, M.J., Orengo, J., Madrid, J., Vargas, A., Martínez-Miró, S., 2022. Effect of sow body weight at first service on body status and performance during first parity and lifetime. Animals 2022, 12, 3399. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12233399

[2] Bruun, T.S.; Sørensen, G.; Tybirk, P., 2014: Baggrund for næringsstofnormer til polte fra 30 til 140 kg [Background for feeding standards to gilts from 30 to 140 kg]. Notat no. 1418. Link: https://svineproduktion.dk/publikationer/kilder/notater/2014/1418

[3] Eskildsen, M., 2016. Pig production, SEGES Publishing

[4] Farmer, C., 2015. The gestating and lactating sow. pp. 423-441.

[5] Theil, P.K., Krogh, U., Bruun, T.S., and Feyera, T., 2022. Feeding the modern sow to sustain high productivity. Molecular Reproduction & Development. 1-16.

[6] https://danbred-manual.com/en/sow-gilt-manual/gilt-unit/