Principais causas de descarte de suínos de diferentes raças durante seleção de marrãs

Abstract

Brazilian pig farming has shown significant growth, consolidating Brazil as one of the largest producers and exporters of pork in the world. This progress is driven by improvements in the areas of genetics, nutrition, health, management and environment. Among the most widely used breeds, Duroc, Landrace and Large White stand out, selected for their productive and reproductive characteristics. However, one of the main challenges in the sector is the early culling of sows due to problems such as hoof injuries, poor posture, low weight and teat changes. Such problems impact reproductive longevity and system efficiency. Understanding the causes of culling is essential to optimize production and improve production rates. The study aimed to identify the main causes of culling during the selection of gilts of the Duroc, Landrace and Large White breeds, in addition to quantifying their frequency on a commercial farm. For this purpose, data from 5,408 gilts aged between 147 and 161 days and classified according to their respective breeds were analyzed. The data were subjected to the chi-square test with a 5% significance level, indicating that hoof injuries, especially excessive growth and erosion of the plantar pad, were the most frequent causes of culling. The Large White breed had the highest incidence of this problem. The results demonstrate that, despite advances in pig farming, locomotor problems still represent a significant challenge in the selection of females for replacement. The results of this study reinforce the need for preventive strategies, including improvements in management, nutritional adjustments and careful genetic selection, with the objective of reducing the culling rate and increasing the reproductive longevity of the animals.