How to carefully select quality gilts
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In swine farming, maintaining a productive and healthy sow herd requires continuous replacement. This means regularly selecting high-quality gilts to replace older sows that are no longer performing well due to frailty, delayed heat cycles, poor lactation, or low breeding efficiency. A gilt is a female pig that has not yet given birth but is kept for breeding purposes. The selection of gilts is a complex and critical process that spans their entire growth period. It involves a thorough evaluation of the animal’s genetic background, performance, and physical traits.
When evaluating gilts, it's important to consider their maternal lineage. First, gilts should come from sows that have had multiple litters, with high feed efficiency and good weaning weights—ideally from those who have successfully farrowed between 2 to 5 litters. Their parents should also exhibit strong production traits, such as fast growth, good disease resistance, and efficient feed conversion.
Next, look at the littermates. A good gilt should come from a litter with uniform carcass traits, minimal variation in size, and no signs of hereditary issues like hernias, cryptorchidism, or other congenital defects. Siblings should be free from genetic abnormalities that could affect future productivity.
When assessing the gilt itself, several key characteristics should be considered. First, the physical appearance should meet breed standards—good body structure, smooth coat, balanced head and ear shape, and a long back. The hindquarters should be well-developed, with strong, properly aligned legs. The legs shouldn't be too straight, as this can lead to mobility issues later on.
Good gilts should have at least seven pairs of functional teats (six for lean-type pigs), evenly spaced and neatly arranged. There should be no genetic defects, such as extra teats or underdeveloped udders. The reproductive organs must be well-formed, with a normal vulva shape and proper development.
In terms of growth, gilts should weigh over 1.5 kg at birth, reach 8 kg by 28 days of age, and be around 30 kg at 70 days. They should be of moderate body weight, neither too large nor too small. Before being bred, gilts should undergo a final check to ensure their reproductive systems are fully developed, their estrus cycles are regular, and they show clear signs of heat. Any gilts that fail these checks should be excluded from the breeding program to maintain herd quality and efficiency.