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. 2023 Jan 3:101:skac408.
doi: 10.1093/jas/skac408.

Lifetime and removal reasons for Pietrain boars in European AI centers: a retrospective analysis

Sophie Henneberg  1 , Michael Kleve-Feld  2 , Filip Schröter  3 , Markus Jung  1 , Martin Schulze  1
Affiliations

Lifetime and removal reasons for Pietrain boars in European AI centers: a retrospective analysis

Sophie Henneberg et al. J Anim Sci. .

Abstract

Currently, artificial insemination (AI) is the most common reproductive method used in swine production. The economic profitability of AI centers is closely linked to a boar's retention rate and the purchase of replacement boars. The objectives of this study were to examine data of selection process and lifetime of a total of 6,496 purebred Pietrain AI boars and to analyze the frequency and reasons of removal in eight European countries. Data were obtained from two German boar multiplication farms as well as 53 AI centers from 2018 to 2022. The retention time was analyzed from the selection process until replacement and to the end of the examination, respectively. The selection process of the boars took place at 168 ± 5 (mean ± SD) days of age. For further calculations, the removal reasons were divided into nine groups: breeding (BR), died (DI), euthanasia (EU), health (HE), genetics (GE), low libido (LI), sperm quality (SQ), structure (ST), and other (OT). Overall, 56.1% of the examined boars were removed, with 17.5% being removed within the same year they entered the AI center. The annual removal rate for the 53 AI centers averaged 42.4%. The most frequent removal reason was low SQ (45.1%), followed by genetics (28.6%) and low libido (10.6%). The highest relative frequency of removals was observed for an age of 2 yr (34.0%). The highest removal risk was calculated for boars in Czech AI centers (P < 0.001), while the lowest removal risk occurred in Dutch (P = 0.006) and Portuguese AI centers (P = 0.01). The comparison of removal groups revealed, inter alia, higher body weight at selection process for the BR group (117.9 ± 9.0 kg) and longer quarantine periods for LI group (45.9 ± 17.6 d). Boars in the GE group were characterized by the oldest age at removal (934.0 ± 272.8 d) and longest period of exploitation (672.5 ± 266.8 d). The results could be helpful to detect the most common reasons for production failure of AI Pietrain boars and beneficial for establishing an economical removal policy in AI centers and for improving boar management through problem-based selection in boar multiplication farms.

Keywords: artificial insemination; boar; libido; lifetime; removal; sperm quality.

Plain language summary

Unsurprisingly, the removal of boars from artificial insemination (AI) centers affects the centers’ economic performance and production efficiency. An analysis of reasons for removal is beneficial for an optimal removal policy and can help detect health problems that could be occurring in the herd. The aim of this study was to analyze data of selection process and removal, lifetime and removal reasons of 6,496 Pietrain boars in 53 European AI centers. The most common reason for boar removal was poor sperm quality, followed by genetics and low libido. The highest retention rate with increasing age was calculated for boars removed due to genetics, whereas boars removed because of low libido were characterized by the lowest probability to remain in the herd. Hazard analysis indicates that the removal risk for boars is influenced by the production process and differs between European countries.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no real or perceived conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Scoring system for front and rear leg angulation. Scoring system for front and rear leg angulation used for selection process of boars in PIC nucleus farms (adapted according to Pig Improvement Company, Hendersonville, USA).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Relative frequency of boar removals. Relative frequency of removals due to specific reason of 2,799 Pietrain AI boars in 53 European AI centers for removal age in years. The number of removals per age in years is scaled to a sum of 100%.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Survival curves of boars. Survival curves of 2,799 AI Pietrain boars in 53 European AI centers depending on removal group by age in months from birth.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Cumulative hazard for boar removal. Cumulative hazard for boar removal (N = 2,799) due to specific reason in 53 European AI centers by age in months from birth.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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