News from the Midwest Sectional Meetings, March 16-18, 1998, Des Moines, Iowa
Contact:
Ron Bates, MSU swine researcher, 517-432-1387
Jamie DePolo, Outreach Communications, 517-432-1555, ext. 22.
Fertility Drugs for Pigs
Pigs aren't always in the mood for love, but the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a drug called PG600 that helps bring sows and gilts (females that have never given birth) into estrus -- a regularly recurrent cycle where the female is capable of conceiving and will accept a male partner for intercourse. The drug works by stimulating development of estrus cells in normal pigs who are reproductively able to give birth, but aren't ovulating. The drug can be used on sows who haven't returned to estrus after giving birth and weaning, and on gilts that have never had a litter.
Taking this fertility phenomenon one step further, Michigan State University swine researcher Ron Bates has discovered that if PG600 is given to normal estrus sows near their natural estrus cycle, their ovulation rate will increase and they will have more babies.
"This drug was used during the fall and winter months when sows live in improved environmental conditions and usually go back into estrus about five to seven days after weaning," Bates said. "By giving this drug at this time, we found that we can increase the number of pigs they would typically have. The average litter is about 10 pigs and with the drug the average litter was about 11 to 12."
Bates said the drug worked on sows that have had at least three previous litters, but not more than six, and that lactate for less than 16 days. He will present his research at the joint Midwest Sectional Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science and American Dairy Science Association in Des Moines, Iowa, on March 16-18.
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