The value of innate sow appetite as a model trait for maternal breeding objectives

Abstract

<p>The concept presented here evaluated benefits of including 'innate appetite' as an additional source of information to enhance response within a maternal breeding objective. The term 'innate appetite' refers to (heritable) feed intake (or comparable feeding behaviour) data recorded at any point in a sows' life-cycle, reflecting an animals desire to eat. When 'innate intake' was included as a selection criterion, the overall response increased from $41.98 to $47.31. The main proportion of the overall response was attributed to traits recorded on growing pigs. At the same time, farrowing and pre-weaning survival, wean-to-conception interval and longevity improved. Maternal breeding objectives in pigs can be extended by using innate appetite data, provided that uncertainty of genetic parameters, in particular between traits of growing pigs and sows is clarified.</p>