Effects of parity, season, gonadotropin releasing hormone and altered suckling intensity on the interval to rebreeding in sows

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of a) parity and season of the year on the interval from weaning to rebreeding in sows and b) altered suckling intensity (ASI) and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) on the postpartum interval in primiparous and multiparous sows. Experiment I included 406 weaning-to-rebreeding intervals in 172 primiparous and multiparous sows. Primiparous sows returning to estrus during the spring and summer months had a longer (P<0.001) rebreeding interval (11.0 d) than the other groups (5.7 d). In Experiment II, 32 sows were assigned to a factorially designed experiment. The factors were ASI, GnRH and parity. Treatments were begun 7 d before weaning (about 4 wk of age). The ASI was accomplished by separating the sow from her litter for 12 h each day. The average interval from the beginning of treatment to the onset of estrus was 13.4 d and was not affected (P>0.33) by ASI, GnRH, parity or their interactions. None of the factors was found to affect the average weaning weight of the piglets (P>0.05); however, piglets in the ASI group were heavier (P<0.03) at 1-wk postweaning than those in the no-ASI group. The results showed that primiparous sows returning to estrus during the spring and summer months had the longest rebreeding interval. Additionally, neither GnRH nor ASI, separately or in conjunction, decreased the postpartum interval in sows.