Piglets Cycle

How many piglets do sows produce throughout their lives?

In order to make pig production an increasingly profitable business, 

increasing productivity should be a continuous target of farms.

farms can and should forecast how many piglets their sows are able to produce.

However, defining this target is still a great challenge for farms, particularly because they are not sure about one rather practical question: how many piglets should a sow produce in its lifetime? 

The first step to get an answer to this question is to search for information as it depends on manageable factors, 

These factors help to estimate the maximum number of piglets their sows are able to produce.

This is the number that should be aimed at and, together with other factors; it will indicate the

maximum productive potential of the farm. Producers are often concerned only with getting a good ratio of pigs weaned per sow per year and a good liter rate up to the third time.

But when they harvest a sow (slaughter the sow when too old), they don’t ask how much it has produced throughout its whole productive life. Has all the genetic potential been achieved?

If it could have produced 90 piglets during the period it was at the farm, but at the time it was culled you find out that it produced only 30 or 40, for example, this means that there has been a considerable waste.

The goal is always to try to have lower cost and zero waste.

Have you done the productive potential of the sows > Let us know on the comments below

Common questions:

Can a pig give birth to one piglet?

The fact that the sow has produced only one piglet can have 

several causes, ranging from management issues, irregular feeding, health of the sow

stress levels, sow´s reproductive history must be assessed: number of total piglets born,

 number of piglets born alive, non-productive days in each cycle and losses at farrowing.

 If according to your selection criteria the sow is fit she can be serviced again.

Can a pig can give birth with a 20 piglets Or more ?

According to Agriness annual performance report by the best Brazilian farms on pig production 16.26 piglets are born per sow.