A prospective study on the influence of different Piétrain terminal sire lines on production results in a Dutch pig farm

Abstract

In Dutch pig farming the sperm from terminal sire lines is purchased at breeding companies. They provide numerous options when choosing a terminal sire line. This choice is complicated by the lack of information on differences between the different terminal sire lines. The aim of this study was to compare the four terminal sire lines, that are most frequently used in the Netherlands: TP, P426, P408 and HM on the important production characteristics, TB, BA, PWM, BW and SWW. The study was conducted on a Dutch sow farm counting 280 Topigs-20 sows. Results were collected between January and June 2012. A total of 287 litters consisting of 4012 piglets were analyzed. The results for both BW and SWW showed significant differences between sire lines. It seems that terminal sire line has a greater influence on weaning weight, than birth weight.