Seasonal influences on swine reproductive traits in Trinidad, West Indies

ABSTRACT

A retrospective study was conducted on a large farrow-to-finish pig farm in southern Trinidad. The study examined the influence of season (wet vs dry) on litter size, litter birth weight, number of piglets weaned, litter 21-day weight, and weaning-to-remating interval (WTRI). Season of birth, season of mating, and month of mating had no effect on any of the traits examined (P>0.05). There was a higher level of preweaning mortality among piglets that were born in the month of January (P=0.02). The average temperatures for the wet season and dry season for the three year study period were 26.1 (C) and 27.2 (C), respectively. The average temperature-humidity indicies for the two seasons were 75.4 for the wet season and 77.6 for the dry season (AU)