The effects of two oestrus detection procedures and intense boar stimulation near the time of oestrus on mating efficiency of the female pig

Abstract

In the first experiment, a higher oestrus detection rate (percentage of cycling gilts that were detected in oestrus) and a higher mating rate (percentage of cycling gilts that were mated) were achieved when cycling gilts were checked for oestrus in the corridor adjacent to the boar pens than when they were checked in their own pens, which were separated from the boar pens by a 1.0 m-wide corridor (90 v. 52% and 87 v. 52%, respectively). In the second experiment, several housing treatments were imposed over a 21-day period. A lower proportion of gilts were detected in the I stage of oestrus (positive response to the back-pressure test both in the presence and absence of a boar) and a lower ma..