Recurrence patterns and factors associated with regular, irregular, and late return to service of female pigs and their lifetime performance on southern European farms.

ABSTRACT

A return-to-service occurrence increases nonproductive days of female pigs and decreases herd productivity. The objectives of the present study were 1) to characterize 3 return types based on reservice intervals in female pigs on southern European farms, 2) to determine return risks and recurrence patterns for these types of returns, and 3) to assess lifetime performance of females with the 3 types of returns. We analyzed 653,528 service records and lifetime records of 114,906 females on 125 farms between 2008 and 2013. Reservice intervals were categorized into 3 groups regular returns (RR 18 to 24 d), irregular returns (IR 25 to 38 d), and late returns (LR 39 d or later). Multilevel generalized linear models were applied to the data. There were 64,385 reservice records (9.9%), with mean risks of RR, IR, and LR per service (±SEM) of 3.6% ± 0.06%, 2.5% ± 0.05%, and 3.0% ± 0.06%, respectively. Of the 43,931 first-returned females, 32.7% had a second return in the same or later parity. Also, 18.8%, 10.2%, and 11.6% of females that had RR, IR, and LR first returns, respectively, had a second return of the same return type. Summer servicing was associated with greater RR, IR, and LR risks in gilts. Also, increased gilt age at first mating was associated with RR ( = 0.03) and LR risk ( < 0.01) but not with IR risk ( = 0.53). For sows, factors associated with greater RR, IR, or LR risks were summer servicing, lower parity, farrowing more stillborn piglets, and having a weaning-to-first-mating interval of 7 d or more ( < 0.01). In lifetime, 33.5% of serviced females had 1 or more returns. These returned females had 41.5 more lifetime nonproductive days than nonreturn females but also 1.9 more lifetime pigs born alive ( < 0.01). We recommend that producers closely monitor females in high-risk groups to reduce their return-to-service intervals.