Factors affecting longevity in maternal Duroc swine lines

A competing risks approach was used to evaluate the influence of several pre-farrowing factors on risk of culling due to different causes in Duroc swine, these having low fertility, low productivity, lameness and mortality. Culling due to low fertility increased for average daily gains during the growth test lower than 585 g/day, whereas culling due to low productivity and mortality increased with low levels of backfat thickness at the end of the growth test. Lesser loin depths at first farrowing reduced culling due to low productivity but increased culling due to lameness. Furthermore, a higher average daily gain from the end of the growth test to first mating increased culling by all causes. A complementary analysis was carried out to evaluate the influence of these factors on risk of culling without taking into account the specific reason of failure. In this second analysis, the factors were included as time-dependent covariates whose relative importance changed throughout the sows' productive life. Expected survival functions and replacement rates have been calculated in different hypothetical situations in order to determine the optimal animal body type at first farrowing to maximise longevity, which under our production conditions is independent of average daily gain from birth until the end of the growth test, but from the end of the growth test to first mating average daily gain should not be over 485 g/day; backfat thickness should be more than 16 mm at the end of the growth test and maintain this level until the first parturition without exceeding 19 mm; loin depth should be kept below 45 mm at first farrowing.