Study into the Efficacy of Sow AI Strategies

February 25, 2010 — 

Research by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Northern Ireland, UK, has compared the efficacy of various insemination strategies in sows. Success in their use 'would greatly depend on accurate and timely heat detection and subsequent insemination.'

The trial focused on two methods. The first one was the traditional method of insemination, using a sponge catheter which delivers semen into the cervix of the sow. In this method, sows are normally inseminated twice within each heat to ensure a successful conception. Recently a new type of catheter was introduced - the Deep Intrauterine (DUI) catheter which delivers the semen into the uterine horn and closer to the egg. Manufacturers claim that only one insemination is required using this catheter to achieve conception.

Sow herd The trial was conducted on the sow herd at the AFBI and was co-funded by Pig ReGen and DARD. In total, 180 sows were used and three insemination procedures were compared:

* 'Normal' - Sows were inseminated twice using a normal catheter. * 'DUI + Normal' - After detection, sows were inseminated twice. * 'DUI Once' - After detection, sows were inseminated once within 24 hours.

Low conception rate In this study, the lowest conception rate (72%) and lowest number of pigs born alive (11.1) were the result of inseminating sows with the DUI catheter once 24 hrs after heat was detected.

Under normal commercial management where sows are inspected for heat and inseminated within time blocks, it is difficult to ensure high success rates using the 'once' method.

However, the combination of the DUI catheter with a normal catheter within a 'twice' insemination procedure optimised conception rates (88%) and the number of pigs born alive with little effect on the average birth weight of piglets born.

Number of pigs born As expected, as the number of pigs born increased, the average birth weight of pigs decreased. However, in this case the difference was not excessive. If the DUI catheter was to be used on farm, specialised training is required as incorrect use can damage the reproductive tract within the sow.

A high standard of hygiene should also be in place since the insertion of a 'dirty' catheter would deliver infection deep into the reproductive organs of the sow.

Source: PigProgress.net