Breeding goals: Succeed in increasing piglet survival rate

This new approach can improve the piglet’s own ability to survive, as well as the sow’s ability to make sure her piglets survive. This is a breakthrough in breeding work, and the results show that the new approach has been incredibly effective.

When we improve the piglet’s own ability to survive, we see a rapid effect in production due to the improvements in DanBred Duroc. This means that pig producers who mate their sows with Duroc can see the results in the form of more vigorous piglets already now,” explains Anders Vernersen, Head of Department in Breeding & Genetics, Danish Agriculture & Food Council.

Significant effect in the breeding nucleus

Data on piglet survival from the past 12 months show an improvement of almost 5 percentage points in Duroc compared to the previous 12 months. This is significantly more than what was expected before the new traits were implemented in the breeding goal.

The breeding herds have noticed a big difference in their piglets over the past 12 months. They find that the piglets are more robust and see an increasing piglet survival. Of course, the new breeding goal cannot explain this improvement alone. There has been a strong focus on management initiatives in all breeding herds and especially the feeding of gilts. Similarly, you would expect to see an improvement in production herds, but genetics cannot stand alone,” explains Anders Vernersen.

For the female breeds, DanBred Landrace and DanBred Yorkshire, DanBred sees an improvement of approximately 2.5 and 1 percentage point respectively in the breeding and multiplication herds, on average over 12 months. Improvements through Landrace and Yorkshire take slightly longer to reach the production herds (compared to Duroc), as progress has to be made from the breeding nucleus via multiplication before it reaches the production sows.

Figure 1 – The graphs show piglet survival measured in DanBred’s breeding and multiplication herds for DanBred Yorkshire, DanBred Landrace and DanBred Duroc. After the new traits for piglet survival were introduced into the breeding goals in the summer of 2022, a significant improvement is seen for all three breeds.

The innovation behind the breeding goal

The research behind implementing the new traits is based on a large data base. Data comes from the breeding and multiplication herds, which report dead piglets until weaning. The analysis uses statistical models that calculate breeding values for all pigs in DanBred’s breeding nucleus. Based on data, the statistical model for piglet survival can separate the genetic effect coming from the sow, which describes the sow’s ability to make her piglets survive. It can also separate the genetic effect that comes from the piglet itself, which explains the piglet’s own ability to survive.

When you choose the pigs with the highest breeding values, you get pigs that are better at surviving and sows that are better at making their piglets survive. The breeding goal of Duroc contributes to increasing the survivability of the piglet. Where Landrace and Yorkshire contribute both to the piglet’s survivability, but also to the sow becoming better at getting its own piglets to survive,” says Anders Vernersen.

Balanced breeding to ensure high profits

The experts in DanBred’s professional Research & Development department, Breeding & Genetics in Danish Agriculture & Food Council, always work to ensure the right balance between all the traits in DanBred’s breeding goals. This contributes to sustainable high profits for you as a pig producer.

The latest results from DanBred’s testing station and nucleus herds show continuous progress for all of the important finisher traits, even with the increase in survival. Compared to 2018, DanBred breeding pigs in 2023 have an average of 0.8 percent higher meat percentage, grow 76 g more per day and use 0.14 kg less feed per kg growth.

As pig producers witness more robust piglets and increased survival rates, DanBred continues to pave the way for balanced breeding, ensuring the success in your production farm. Embrace the future of pig genetics with DanBred – where every piglet’s potential is nurtured for sustainable and profitable pig production.