Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:25:53.573Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Evaluation of female reproductive performance of 28 one-way crosses produced from eight breeds of swine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

W. B. Holtmann ,
M. H. Fahmy ,
T. M. MacIntyre  and
J. E. Moxley
W. B. Holtmann
Affiliation:
Laval University, Agriculture Canada and Macdonald College, Canada
M. H. Fahmy
Affiliation:
Laval University, Agriculture Canada and Macdonald College, Canada
T. M. MacIntyre
Affiliation:
Laval University, Agriculture Canada and Macdonald College, Canada
J. E. Moxley
Affiliation:
Laval University, Agriculture Canada and Macdonald College, Canada
Get access

Summary

The study included 1013 gilts representing 28 one-way crosses among Yorkshire (Y), Landrace (Ld), Lacombe (Lc), Hampshire (H), Duroc (D), Berkshire (B), Large Black (LB) and Tamworth (T) breeds of swine. The crosses were distributed among five cooperating stations and were mated to Poland China boars to evaluate sow reproductivity based on the performance of the first two litters. The traits studied were weight at 112 days of age, age at puberty, percentage farrowing, litter size and weight at farrowing and at 3 weeks. Significant differences between crosses were found for all traits except farrowing percentage. The most prolific crosses were LdxY, HxLd and D x Y which gave birth to 11·0, 11·0 and 10·8 pigs per litter respectively, compared to the overall mean of 9·7 Ld x Y, LB x Lc and H x Ld crosses weaned litters 7·4, 5·3 and 4·9 kg heavier than the 40·5 kg mean for all crosses. Using percentage farrowing multiplied by litter 3-week-weight for the two litters as a measure of sow productivity, Ld x Y and LB x Lc crosses ranked highest. The breeds that had the best combining abilities for 3-week litter weight were Ld, Y, LB and Lc, however their specific combining abilities are important and hence not all crosses between these breeds produced superior performing crossbred sows. Overall, the Ld x Y was the most precocious, farrowed and weaned the greatest number of pigs per litter and had the heaviest litters at 3 weeks post-farrowing.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , December 1975 , pp. 199 - 207
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1975

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Dunne, H. W. 1970. Diseases of Swine (ed. Dunne, H. W.). 3rd ed. Iowa State University Press, Ames, la.Google Scholar
Fahmy, M. H. and Bernard, C. S. 1971. Crossbreeding swine: evaluation of twenty-eight crosses of market pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 51: 645–650.Google Scholar
Fahmy, M. H., Bernard, C. S. and Holtmann, W. B. 1971. Crossbreeding swine: reproductive performance of seven breeds of sows bred to produce crossbred progeny. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 51: 361–370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fahmy, M. H., Holtmann, W. B. and MacIntyre, T. M. 1975. Evaluation of crossbred sows for the production of pigs for slaughter. Anim. Prod. 20: 249–255.Google Scholar
Fredeen, H. T. 1957. The genetic improvement of swine. Anim. Breed. Abstr. 26: 229–241.Google Scholar
Gabriel, K. R. 1963. Analysis of variance of proportions with unequal frequencies. J. Am. statist. Ass. 58: 1133–1157.Google Scholar
Harvey, W. R. 1960. Least-squares analysis of data with unequal subclass numbers. United States Department of Agriculture, ARS-20-8 (Mimeograph).Google Scholar
King, J. W. B. 1968. The hybridisation of pigs. Stocarstvo 22: 485–494.Google Scholar
Sellier, P. 1970. Hétérosis et croisement chez le porc. Annls Génét.Sél.anim. 2: 145–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, H. J. and McLaren, J. B. 1967. Performance of breeds and breed crosses of swine. Tenn. agric. Exp. Stn Bull. No. 434.Google Scholar
Willham, R. L. 1960. Genetic differences in litter size and average litter weight from a polyallel cross of seven breeds of swine. Ph.D. Thesis, Iowa State University, Ames, la.Google Scholar