Published on Sept. 27, 2023
"The sow does its job": A Hypor customer success story
Jérôme Plouzennec is a parent stock customer based in Pluguffan, France. His farm has 400 Libra Maxter cross sows using a 28 day weaning cycle with very strong performance in litter size, piglet livability, and fertility.
Performance results
Total births: | 16.55 |
Sow survival rate: | 96.8 |
Weaned/litter: | 13.45 |
Wean-to-sale survival: | 94.8% |
Fertility rate: | 93% |
Cost per kg of S-V growth: | €0.703 |
How do you see the Hypor Libra evolving?
Good. Prolificacy is steadily increasing, but not at the expense of the health of the piglets, which are almost all weaned from their mothers. Cross fostering is sometimes done, but weaning is more frequent, and weaning weights remain good and stable. It's clear that the combination of Libra and Maxter produces uniform piglets, as can be seen in post-weaning and confirmed in fattening.
What can you tell us about performance trends?
Every year, performance improves, and what I particularly appreciate is the hardiness of the offspring. The mortality rate continues to fall, whether on sows or finishers, so without having to work harder, I'm getting more value out of them. My feed consumption per sow hasn't changed, and yet she's weaning more, so economically it's perfect. Every year we're pleasantly surprised to see that it's getting a little better, which is really nice.
What impresses you most about the Libra?
The evolution of the product itself. We can see that there has been serious work on genetic improvement and good animal health. I've always respected the fundamentals. I can see that the health of my animals is improving, and the Libra has a lot to do with that.
How does this sow adapt to the challenges of the modern farm?
Simply because you don't need to resort to gimmicks to make it work. Here, the sow does its job. The sow's easy to manage characteristics means that she adapts to a less specialized workforce, which is important because labor is hard to find! The other advantage is the resilience of its offspring. The aim is to only use antibiotics when necessary in order to meet societal expectations.
Two words to sum up the Libra?
Complete and balanced.
Every year, performance improves, and what I particularly appreciate is the hardiness of the offspring. The mortality rate continues to fall, whether on sows or finishers, so without having to work harder, I'm getting more value out of them.