The ‘right’ time to
inseminate varies between farms and individual sows, so it is important to
adapt the insemination routine to the specific farm.
Insemination must occur
some hours before ovulation, which normally happens two thirds of the way
through oestrus, eg 36-44 hours after onset of oestrus. Acceptable
fertilisation results are normally achieved by inseminating 24 hours before
ovulation.
Accurately identifying
the start of first standing heat is the most important thing to get right as inseminating
too early or late will result in poorer litter sizes and lower farrowing rates.
Producers should
carry out ‘oestrus mapping’ for their unit; this involves testing for standing
heat in the morning and afternoon, to help ensure that timing of boar contact,
testing for standing heat and insemination are all being carried out at the
optimum times.
To download the
factsheet, Action for Productivity 31: Optimising timing of service and for
more information on the Breed +3 initiative, go to: www.bpex.org.uk/2TS/breeding/
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