{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,5]],"date-time":"2026-11-05T08:03:29Z","timestamp":1793865809155,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,13]],"date-time":"2019-10-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1570924800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100010576","name":"Iowa Pork Producers Association","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100010576","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"TriOak Foods Inc."}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Improving sow lifetime productivity is essential for maximizing farm profitability. Study objectives were to determine the accuracy for different vulva scoring methods in a commercial production system and to assess whether gilt reproductive tract scoring [evaluated by vulva width (VW)] prior to puberty could serve as useful gilt selection criteria. To accomplish this objective, 958 prepubertal replacement gilts in a commercial system were evaluated at approximately 15 wk of age. Gilt body weight (BW) was recorded in addition to 4 different methods to evaluate VW. Methods for VW assessment included digital caliper measurement (mm), visual evaluation and scoring by trained farm personnel [Farm Score (FS)], and 2 methods using scoring tools [Vulva Score Method A and B (VSA and VSB, respectively)] specifically calibrated from the VW distribution measured on gilts from previous studies. The VSA and FS methods assigned gilts to one of 3 categories (S, M, L, and 1, 2, 3, respectively) whereas VSB classified gilts vulvas using a 5-point scoring system (1 to 5). At 15 wk of age, a low proportion of variability in vulva size (27.8 \u00b1 0.1 mm) could be explained by BW (62.2 \u00b1 0.2 kg; R2 = 0.05). All 3 scoring methods were effective in categorizing gilts based upon VW, as the measured VW size within methods differed by score (P &amp;lt; 0.01). The proportion of gilts achieving their first parity increased with score for VSA (64.7%, 73.2%, and 84.4%; P = 0.02), VSB (66.0%, 71.7%, 79.2%, 76.4%, and 84.2%; P = 0.02), and FS (67.2%, 75.0%, and 88.8%; P = 0.03), but VSA, VSB, and FS did not influence percentage of gilts achieving their second parity (P = 0.32, 0.29, and 0.30, respectively). Litter performance of gilts scored as M or L using VSA improved with an increased total born over 2 parities compared to those scored as S (23.96 vs. 26.38 pigs; P &amp;lt; 0.01) as well as born alive (21.13 vs. 23.05 pigs; P &amp;lt; 0.05). Results were similar for VSB, where scores 2 to 5 had greater total born (23.97 vs. 26.33 pigs; P &amp;lt; 0.01) and born alive (21.11 vs. 23.02 pigs; P &amp;lt; 0.05) through 2 parities compared to gilts scored 1. Using the FS method, total born pigs tended to be increased (P = 0.06) through 2 parities for gilts having a 2 or 3 vulva score compared to those scored as a 1. Collectively, assessing VW at approximately 15 wk of age may identify sows with improved productivity through 2 parities as breeding herd females.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/tas\/txz160","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,13]],"date-time":"2019-10-13T17:58:50Z","timestamp":1570989530000},"page":"275-284","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Methods for reproductive tract scoring as a tool for improving sow productivity12"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"4","author":[{"given":"Matthew R","family":"Romoser","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benjamin J","family":"Hale","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jacob T","family":"Seibert","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tom","family":"Gall","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"TriOak Foods Inc., Oakville, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Christopher J","family":"Rademacher","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kenneth J","family":"Stalder","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lance H","family":"Baumgard","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aileen F","family":"Keating","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jason W","family":"Ross","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"2020051902403702100_CIT0001","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.1016\/0090-6980(77)90185-x","article-title":"Theory of maternal recognition of pregnancy in swine based on estrogen controlled endocrine versus exocrine secretion of prostaglandin F2alpha by the uterine endometrium","volume":"14","author":"Bazer","year":"1977","journal-title":"Prostaglandins"},{"key":"2020051902403702100_CIT0002","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"333","DOI":"10.1186\/1297-9686-18-3-333","article-title":"Components of prolificacy in hyperprolific Large White sows compared with the Meishan and Large White breeds","volume":"18","author":"Bolet","year":"1986","journal-title":"Genet. 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