Sow Recommended Culling Plan

A common problem exists on many pig farms: hesitation when culling gilts, even when dealing with newly introduced gilts or those that failed selection. If these sows do not come into heat promptly, they continuously waste feed and labor resources while occupying valuable pen space that could be used by more productive sows. If they are no longer suitable for breeding, they should be promptly removed from the breeding herd to prevent them from negatively impacting the farm's future production performance.

When culling sows, the following points can be used as guidelines:

1. Gilts exceeding 240 days of age with no recorded estrus (heat).
2. Gilts that fail to show estrus after two injections of PMSG (Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin, "Blood Stimulant").
3. First-parity sows (P1) with a litter size of fewer than 8 piglets.
4. Sows unable to nurse piglets due to mastitis or gastric ulcers, and sows in poor body condition after weaning.
5. Sows that fail to conceive (empty) or return to service twice, or sows that abort once.

Culling sows or first-parity sows may seem harsh. However, from an operational perspective, the difference between the cost of purchasing a new replacement gilt and the slaughter value of the culled gilt can be fully offset by the value generated by a replacement sow that maintains good subsequent production performance.