Best Management Practices for Breeding Sows and Boars

Dear Colleagues,

The reproductive efficiency in pigs can be influenced by the association of the sow, the boar, and the environment. Therefore, the health status and the husbandry of breeding sows and boars are critical for physiological reproductive performance in the herd; they have a major impact on animal welfare, as well as on the economic output of a farm.

One of the most frequent reasons for culling a sow from a breeding farm is a reproductive disorder, during farrowing, the suckling period or at the insemination. Diseases of the urogenital tract in particular, such as endometritis and cystitis, and production diseases, such as post-partum dysgalactia syndrome, frequently occur on sow farms which differ within herd prevalence. Therefore, it is very important to recognize and treat these reproductive disorders as soon as possible to avoid negative effects on the subsequent reproductive cycle and performance of the sow. Furthermore, the boar has also an essential role in determining the reproductive efficiency in a breeding farm. Any reduction in fertility of boars can be caused by anatomical, metabolic or even psychological disorders that may also be influenced by the environment.

Hence, management practices for both sexes are necessary to improve reproductive performance, animal welfare and the economic output of a breeding farm. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to focus on the improvement in management practices for sows and boars to enhance herd’s reproduction of breeding farms.

Dr. Alexander Grahofer
Dr. Stefan Björkman
Guest Editors

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• theriogenology
• pig reproduction
• breeding sows
• boars
• endocrinology