Analysis of Absolute’s AMGâ„¢ Pipette Trial
The Absolute AMGâ„¢ Pipette trial was designed to test the effectiveness of Absolute Swine Insemination Co.’s (ASIC) AMGâ„¢ insemination pipette against the use of the current USA standard; Primatech’s traditional inseminating rod manufactured by Ray Chen of Ennchih (Taiwan). Unlike conventional rods that deposit semen into the cervix, the AMGâ„¢ pipette extends through the cervix and deposits semen directly into the uterus.
Materials & Methods
The trial was conducted at Lone Hollow Farms, LLC which is a 5,650 sow farrow to wean unit. The farm staff used Absolute’s AMGâ„¢ rod to breed half of the animals each week for 4-6 consecutive weeks. The Primatech rod was used to breed the other half of the animals each week. Each animal was inseminated by the same rod design throughout their breeding period.
In total, 735 sows were bred with the AMGâ„¢ rod and 612 sows with Primatech’s product. Between the AMGâ„¢ and Primatech rod, 1,347 animals were bred for this trial; the animals bred were all the animals in estrus on a given day.
To determine conception rates, the animals were recorded if they returned to estrus after the initial trial breeding and each animal was also pregnancy checked with an ultrasound machine 28-32 days after initial breeding to determine pregnancy status. Conception rates were calculated by comparing the number of animals initially bred to the number of animals determined pregnant.
At farrowing, the farrowing percent, number of piglets born live, and total born number of piglets born for the animals bred with the two different rods were calculated. Farrowing percents were calculated by comparing number of animals initially bred to the number of animals that farrowed. Records were obtained by analyzing the farms daily farrowing records and the use of the Agrosoft Winpig TM record system. All records were entered into an excel spreadsheet.
Results
Results
Conception Rates were higher in the sows bred with the AMGâ„¢ pipette compared to the Primatech rod by 10.12% (83.3 vs 73.1, respectively).
Farrowing Rates: were higher in sows bred with the AMGâ„¢ pipette compared to the Primatech rod by 6.9% (75.4 vs 68.4, respectively).
Total Born: was higher in sows bred with the AMGâ„¢ pipette compared to the Primatech rod by .91 pigs per litter (12.9 vs 11.9, respectively).
Born Alive: was higher in sows bred with the AMGâ„¢ pipette compared to the Primatech rod by .8 pigs per litter (12.4 vs 11.6, respectively).
Extreme Labor Savings and farm efficiencies were found when using the AMGâ„¢ pipette. 2 AI technicians could service an entire day’s group (approx. 60 animals) in 1.5 hours, as compared to 6 personnel taking 7-8 hours to service the same quantity of animals using the traditional product.
Discussion
The improvement in total born and live born can be explained by the design of Absolute’s AMGâ„¢ pipette. As stated earlier, the AMGâ„¢ pipette deposits the semen directly into the uterus which can lead to a better fertilization when compared to the traditional Primatech rod. Higher total born numbers also lead to higher born live numbers per litter.
In conclusion, it appears that Absolute’s AMGâ„¢ rod provides positive results when used on a commercial farm when following ASIC’s wean to oestrus (WOI) breeding protocols. The rod significantly increases total and live born piglets and also increases conception and farrowing rates; and saves a significant amount of time in the breeding area. Said time savings helps further improve farm results by providing extra time for heat detection and other daily chores.
For further information contact:
Joseph F. Connor, CVS
Laura Greiner, Innovative Swine Solutions
Mark Anderson, Absolute Swine Insemination Co.
Related Website
• ASIC
• ASIC
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