Influência da climatização nos indicadores reprodutivos de matrizes Large White

Abstract

Pig farming is a livestock activity of great global relevance, with Brazil standing out as one of the largest producers and exporters of pork, driven by advances in management, nutrition, and biotechnology. Modern pig farming prioritizes animal welfare, with practices such as heat stress control and adequate housing, essential for the health and productivity of pigs. Heat stress, common in the Brazilian tropical climate, negatively affects reproductive performance, especially during the gestational period, and air conditioning is a solution to mitigate these effects. This study aimed to compare the reproductive performance of Large White sows housed in a collective gestation shed in an air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned environment. A total of 115 sows were evaluated, 66 in an air-conditioned environment and 49 at room temperature, identified by earrings and divided according to gestational age using the Entirely Randomized Design (DIC). It was observed that the air conditioning significantly improved the average birth weight of piglets (1.57 kg vs 1.44 kg) (P<0.05), although it did not significantly impact the number of piglets born alive, stillborn or mummified. It is concluded that air conditioning is crucial to optimize reproductive efficiency and animal welfare in pig farming.