A nine-year study revealed prevalent risk factors associated with sow mortality, a growing concern for hog producers. The average annual replacement rate is around 50 percent, with most removals occurring on parity-zero or parity-one females before a positive net present value is achieved.
Chris Wright observes the majority of deaths occur during summer. He shares the researchers noted that sow deaths occurring at younger parities during peripartum hinders cost-competitiveness of the sow farms’ operations.
Source: The Pig Site, August 29, 2023. Link.