ANS $262$ Breeding and Gestation Management

Spring, $2024$

Sow Management Case Study

You have just been hired as a consultant to help a sow farm that is having some problems with their overall farrowing rate. It is low at less than $80\%.$ They have asked you to look over their records; conduct a slaughter check; observe their detection of estrus and insemination strategies; and examine body condition score changes during gestation. All this information is summarized as follows:

SowCaseStudy$\_$Additional$\_$Information.pdf $-$ Management procedures associated with weaning,

breeding, and gestation.

SowCaseStudy$\_$AI$.$mpeg $-$ Your observations of their insemination technique

SowCaseStudy$\_$Gest$\_$Chart.xls $-$ Gestation flow chart

If there is additional information that you think you need to help them, then you will need to ask them for that information $($send me an email with the information that you want and I$$ll send you the information$).$ You can assume that there are no problems with the Insemination Doses themselves, i$.$e$.$ the way they are prepared, semen quality, and the way they are handled before and when they arrive at the farm.

Your task is as follows:

A$)$ identify the management practices outlined in the Additional Information file that you

think may be contributing towards their farrowing rate problems;

B$)$ for each item you identified in Section A$,$ explain why it is contributing to their low

farrowing rates and briefly tell the farm how to fix or improve it; and

C$)$ provide them with a priority list $$ tell them which one needs to be corrected first, second,

third, etc.