Breeding goals

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Breeding goals

Our breeding goals adds to a balanced breeding program

Danish Genetics’ 2021 balanced breeding program further accelerates the genetic progress on viable piglets, piglet survival and highly efficient pigs which will further improve sustainability of pork production.

The basis for our breeding program - DGENES

The Danish Genetics breeding program builds on a foundation of the latest technologies, innovation and genetic expertise that are present in Danish Genetics Evaluation System (DGENES) which has been developed in collaboration with the science- and technology company AbacusBio and Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics of Aarhus University.

The breeding program is designed to consider traits of interest that provide economical profitability for actors throughout the entire pork production value chain. The breeding goal trait emphases are obtained from Danish Genetics’ bio-economic model that considers the market trends, resulting in an economical breeding index.

 

Find out more about DGENES

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The optimized breeding program will result in strong, efficient, robust, and long-lifespan sows for sow producers, delivering more weaned piglets by a higher piglet survival and heavier piglets at weaning that require fewer days to growing period. Thereby sows that produce more meat per sow space for less production cost. The trait improvement package also aims to maximize profit for slaughter pig producers through efficiency, growth, and carcass quality yielding more lean meat per carcass in a shorter period, for less feed.

 

Find all categories in our breeding program

CARCASS QUALITYREPRODUCTIONROBUSTNESSEFFICIENCYMOTHERING ABILITYGROWTH

Breeding goal Landrace and Yorkshire

Danish Genetics’ breeding program for the maternal lines, Danish Yorkshire, and Danish Landrace, is designed with sow producers in mind to produce the most optimal F1 sow. The objective is to produce super sows with characteristics of producing more meat per year sow, give birth to easy handling strong and robust piglets. Therefore, the maternal lines have specific focus on reproduction (boar fertility and viable piglets), robustness (longevity and strength), and mothering ability (piglet survival and early growth). In addition, the maternal lines provide half of the genetics for the commercial hybrid finisher pig and hence, growth, efficiency and carcass quality are highly emphasized as part of the breeding program for maternal line.

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MATERNAL LINE

BREEDING GOALS, LANDRACE/YORKSHIRE

3% 22% 16% 10% 18% 4% 8% 10% 3% 6% MOTHERING ABILITYCARCASSQUALITYREPRODUCTIONROBUSTNESSEFFICIENCYGROWTH

Saved feed: Amount of feed not used for growth and carcass quality, g/day

Daily gain, 30 kg to slaughter: Average daily body weight gain from growing to finishing, g/day

Daily gain, birth to 30 kg: Average daily body weight gain from birth to growing, g/day

Piglet survival: The sow effect on percentage of viable piglets 21 days after farrowing, %/litter

Early growth, maternal: The sow effect on average daily body weight gain from birth to growing, g/day

Backfat: Backfat thickness for a specific body weight, mm

Viable piglets at day 1: The sow effect on number of viable piglets at day 1 of farrowing, no. piglets/litter

Boar fertility: The boar effect on number of viable piglets at day 1 of farrowing, no. piglets/litter

Longevity: Probability of sows getting inseminated after first parity, after second parity, and after third parity, %

Strength: Body structure on legs and posture, scale from 0 to 2

Breeding goal Duroc

The breeding objective for the terminal line of Danish Duroc is to maximize the profitability for slaughter pig producers, slaughterhouses, meat processing companies and retailing. This is achieved by putting emphasis on trait categories such as efficiency, growth, boar fertility, survivability, and carcass quality.

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TERMINAL LINE

BREEDING GOALS, DUROC

2% 39% 26% 12% 12% 5% 4% EFFICIENCYGROWTHCARCASS QUALITYREPRODUCTIONROBUSTNESS

Saved feed: Amount of feed not used for growth and carcass quality, g/day

Daily gain, 30 kg to slaughter: Average daily body weight gain from growing to finishing, g/day

Daily gain, birth to 30 kg: Average daily body weight gain from birth to growing, g/day

Backfat: Backfat thickness for a specific body weight, mm

Boar fertility: : The boar effect on number of viable piglets at day 1 of farrowing, no. piglets/litter

Survivability: The boar effect on percentage of viable piglets 21 days after farrowing, %/litter

Strength: Body structure on legs and posture, scale from 0 to 2

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