Veterinary & Livestock

Biography

Biography: Jose A Rivera

Abstract

The productive efficiency in sows depends directly on the success of its reproductive management, aiming at producing more (quantity and individual weight of piglets) per female per year. The culling rate recorded as caused by claudication and hull injury on commercial farms is estimated at 15% and reproductive problems such as abortion, low numbers of newborn piglets, anestrus, recurrence of estrus, etc. are the main cause for culling, leading to a decrease the longevity of the farm, being considered as an economic and animal welfare problem. In 2007 a research showed that abscesses in the hind hooves are five times more correlated with acyclic ovaries than the body condition. We must consider than culling caused by underperforming or reproductive problems, in most cases, are related to hull injuries, even if subclinical. Thus, it is estimated that locomotor problems are related to at least 47% of the cullings. The objective of this study was to know the prevalence of hull injuries in sows in farms in Lima Peru. For this, a cross-sectional study was carried out; where 400 females from 1 to 13 births of the same genetics, raised in farms with similar conditions of climate, floor and management. Eight types of lesions were evaluated in the posterior hulls and each classified on a discrete scale from 0 to 3, where 0 was the absence and 3 were severe lesions. The results showed that 98.5% of the evaluated animals presented at least one lesion in the hull, 29.5% had mild lesions, 45.5% moderate lesions and 23.5% severe lesions. 100% of primiparas presented some type of lesion and the most frequent lesion was overgrowth and erosion of the sole. Even these data belong to a specific place, the conditions and the genetics of the animals are often found in several countries of the world. In 2013, data were presented showing similar ratios in Brazil.