Abstract

DIAZ, Carlos A et al. Characterization of pig farms in the main swine producing regions of Colombia. Rev Colom Cienc Pecua [online]. 2011, vol.24, n.2, pp.131-144. ISSN 0120-0690.

The goal of this study was to characterize intensive pig farms with inventories of 200 or more sows. Farms were located in the three major swine rearing areas of Colombia, representing 62% of the national total sow inventory. A random sample of 67 farms was evaluated, considering a 95% confidence level, 10% precision and 50% variability. A survey was applied to each farm, registering health and production indexes within each production stage, such as acclimatization, farrowing, weaning, and growing/finishing. Index differences between regions were established (p<0.05) and herd performance was analyzed to identify strengths and weaknesses of the main Colombian swine industry. Herds in the evaluated regions had a 87.6% farrowing rate, with a total of 11.7 pigs born per litter, of which 10.8 were born alive; and 10 pigs were weaned per litter, with an average production of 22.3 pigs weaned per sow/year. The average slaughter age was 166.1 days with 102.2 kg per pig. Indexes established in the present study were similar or higher compared to the ones reported for other countries. These data suggest that Colombian swine producers still have great opportunities to increase profitability if production costs decrease and the number of pigs and the amount of pork produced per year is increased.

Keywords : herd performance; reproductive efficiency; swine.

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