The effect of post-ovulatory artificial insemination on sow reproductive performance

In order to increase reproductive performance, sows are usually inseminated several times during oestrus. In practice, this results in a significant number of sows receiving one or more post-ovulatory inseminations. This study was carried out to determine the percentage of sows that receive one or more post-ovulatory inseminations and the effect of such treatment on reproductive performance. The results were analysed from a total of 1298 sows on two farms. It was observed that more than 70% of the sows received at least one post-ovulatory insemination and approximately 20% received two or more. There was no observed effect on the rate of return to oestrus, farrowing rate or litter size (p > 0.05).