To evaluate the effect of late introduction to farrowing pens on the progress of farrowing and maternal behavior, 20 primiparous and 20 multiparous sows were allocated randomly to 1 of 2 treatments: 1) early introduction to pen (EP, n = 20) and 2) late introduction to pen (LP, n = 20). To evaluate the difference between loose-housed sows and crated sows when introduced late to the farrowing env...

In a previous study, we showed that follicle size at weaning affects the response of a sow to a short-term altrenogest treatment after weaning. In this study, an attempt was made to prevent the growth of follicles into larger size categories before weaning by using different altrenogest treatments before weaning to improve reproductive performance after postweaning altrenogest treatments. Sows ...

Primiparous (n = 24) and multiparous (n = 24) sows were used to examine the effects of supplemental dietary fat and induction of parturition (d 112) on colostrum and milk composition and suckling piglet growth. Sows were assigned to one of eight treatments on d 90 of gestation that included variables such as parity (1 vs. >/=3), dietary fat (0 vs. 10%), and farrowing (natural vs. induction via ...

This study aimed to determine if 200 μg of GnRH (gonadorelin hydrochloride) would increase ovulatory response and pregnancies per AI (P/AI) compared with 100 at the first breeding-Ovsynch a Double-Ovsynch program (DO) in lactating Holstein cows. Weekly cohorts primiparous (n = 719) multiparous 1,191) cows submitted DO [GnRH – 7 d PGF2α 3 (G1) (PG1) 1 ~32 h (G2) ~16 TAI] for timed-artificial ins...