What is it about?
Azaperone is a mild neuroleptic drug and sedative given to pigs to control stress caused by re-grouping and aggressiveness of older and bigger herd mates. Effects of azaperone treatment at weaning on reproductive capability of a commercial sow herd were assessed in this study. Azaperone increased litter size but it hindered the onset of estrus in winter-farrowing sows. Second parity sows had greater numbers of piglets born along with delayed onset of estrus. Azaperone significantly depressed the piglet productivity of summer-farrowing sows. The extra cost and labor due to delayed estrus may cancel out any reproductive benefits of azaperone injections.
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Why is it important?
Azaperone is commonly used in commercial swine farms to prevent aggresive behaviour of regroupped sows. Our results clearly show benefits and risks of such treatment during weaning, in combination with additional extrinsic and intrinsic factors (i.e., parity and season).
Perspectives
This article shows data of simple experiment made in commercial conditions on large number of animals. Next steps will be detailed analyses of behavior during weaning to service period and also physiological evaluation of pituitary, adrenal and ovarian function. We hope to find physiological mechanisms regulating azaperone action in sows organisms.
Tomasz Schwarz
University of Agriculture in Krakow
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The influence of azaperone treatment at weaning on reproductive function in sows: ovarian activity and endocrine profiles during the weaning-to-ovulation interval, animal, January 2018, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s1751731117003755.
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