Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

In Sweden we produced 2,6 million slaughter pigs last year (2018). In 2012, the Swedish Yorkshire was exchanged with Dutch Yorkshire in Sweden because of economic reasons and the effective breeding development within the Dutch breed. However, Dutch Yorkshire has through breeding been adapted to be kept “fixed” through farrowing and lactation. In contrast, the Swedish Yorkshire has through breeding been adapted to be held loose housed during farrowing and lactation.

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in nursing behavior between the breeds Swedish Yorkshire and Dutch Yorkshire, when held in nursing pens were the piglets have access to the sow and her piglets in the neighbor nursing pen. The observations took place at Lövsta research center outside Uppsala, owned by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The results in this study showed that differences in nursing behavior between the breed Swedish Yorkshire and Dutch Yorkshire exist.

The results indicated that the nursing duration was longer in Dutch Yorkshire, it was also more common that the four focal gilts in every litter was at the udder at the start of nursing in the Swedish Yorkshire breed. It was more common in Swedish Yorkshire that the sow decided to end the nursing. Moreover, the behavior cross-suckling occurred in both breeds. Taken together, the result indicate that maternal ability has developed in different directions in the two breeds, which is important to take into consideration as Swedish piglet producers will have the crosses with the Dutch Yorkshire in the future.