Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T04:25:58.837Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A note on the influence of boar age on its ability to advance puberty in the gilt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

R. N. Kirkwood  and
P. E. Hughes
R. N. Kirkwood
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
P. E. Hughes
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT
Get access

Abstract

Twenty-four Large White × (Landrace × Large White) gilts were allocated to one of four treatments such that one gilt from each of the litters was on each treatment. Three of the treatments involved 30-min daily contact with a boar, the boar being either (1) 2 years of age, (2) 11 months of age, or (3) 6·5 months of age, at the start of the trial. The fourth group were controls, receiving no boar stimulation.

The experiment began at a gilt age of 165 days and continued until puberty was detected. The gilts were slaughtered 5 days after puberty was reached.

The results indicate no significant difference for age at puberty between gilts exposed to the 2-year- or 11-month-old boars (182·0 v. 181·6 days respectively), although both were significantly younger at puberty than gilts exposed to the 6·5-month-old boars or having no boar contact (P<001) (206·0 v. 203·0 days respectively).

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , April 1981 , pp. 211 - 213
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1981

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

Booth, W. D. 1975. Changes with age in the occurrence of C19 steroids in the testis and submaxillary gland of the boar. J. Reprod. Fert. 42: 459–472.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Booth, W. D., Hay, M. F. and Dott, H. M. 1973. Sexual dimorphism in the submaxillary gland of the pig. J. Reprod. Fert. 33: 163–166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brooks, P. H. and Cole, D. J. A. 1969. The effect of boar presence on the age at puberty of gilts. Rep. Sch. Agric. Univ. Nott., pp. 74–77.Google Scholar
Edgar, D. G. and Bilkey, D. A. 1963. The influence of rams on the onset of the breeding season in ewes. Proc. N.Z. Soc. Anim. Prod. 23: 79–87.Google Scholar
Hughes, P. E. and Cole, D. J. A. 1976. Reproduction in the gilt. 2. The influence of gilt age at boar introduction on the attainment of puberty. Anim. Prod. 23: 89–94.Google Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N. and Hughes, P. E. 1979. The influence of age at first boar contact on puberty attainment in the gilt. Anim. Prod. 29: 231–238.Google Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N. and Hughes, P. E. 1980. A note on the efficacy of continuous v. limited boar exposure on puberty attainment in the gilt. Anim. Prod. 31: 205–207.Google Scholar
Kirkwood, R. N., Forbes, J. M. and Hughes, P. E. 1981. Influence of boar contact on attainment of puberty in gilts after removal of the olfactory bulb. J. Reprod. Fert. 61: 193–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Signoret, J. P. 1971. The reproductive behaviour of pigs in relation to fertility. Vet. Rec. 88: 34–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zimmerman, D. R., Bourn, P. and Donovan, D. 1976. Effect of “transport phenomenon” stimuli and boar exposure on puberty in gilts. J. Anim. Sci. 42: 1362 (Abstr.).Google Scholar