Selecting This Weeks Gilts to Serve

In order to stabilise pig flow, good gilt management is essential. It is necessary to breed sufficient gilts but not necessary to breed all the gilts on any specific day.

In order to improve gilt heat observation in a weekly breeding programme it is necessary to know which gilts are going to come into heat this week.

Female pigs cycle every 21 days (18-24). Therefore, the use of colour marking can assist the weekly gilt selection.

1. Using 3 colours, (red, blue and green), allot one colour per week.

2. Note the week starts the day after weaning, i.e. wean on Thursday, week starts on Friday.

3. After 95 kg any gilts which cycle, mark her back/neck with a spot using this week’s colour.

4. It will be necessary to refresh the colour markings weekly depending on spray/marker used.

5.

At the next cycle, add an additional spot to the gilt’s back. This allows easy observation of the week and number of cycles observed.

This picture shows a group of gilts all who are from different breeding weeks and the middle gilt has had 3 oestrus cycles and therefore is a prime animal to be mated at the next read breeding week.