26,000 litter records
clearly identifying the sire are entered annually in the db.Planer
db.Zucht
SIMPLY THE BEST
Progeny testing: We analyse vast quantities of data and perform genetic evaluations to select the boars with the best genetic profiles.
BHZP offers high-performance boars in the breed lines db.77®, db.77® Teamplayer, db.Siegfried, db.Carl, db.01, db.03 and db.7711. db.77® boars are available in the top genetic class. BHZP operates a sophisticated progeny testing system (anomaly and progeny testing centres) throughout Germany to boost your farm profitability.
The BHZP progeny testing programme for AI sires – the largest in Germany – sets new standards. Comprehensive progeny testing gives us extremely precise breed values that enable us to classify the selected animals reliably and accurately and thereby strengthen the production of piglet producers and finishers.
Our primary goal is to supply premium quality products!
Our primary goal is to supply premium quality products that ensure successful production on your farm. This goal justifies the enormous expense – after all, your success is a measure of our success. Progeny testing, for example, allows us to reliably select sires with positive traits in terms of growth and carcass quality as well as anomalies, piglet vitality and sire fertility. Rigorous own performance tests combined with an extensive progeny test, genotyping and uncompromising selection ensures high genetic progress: Our weaner production test farms rely on more than 10,000 sows to test more than 500 new AI boars each year. We carefully evaluate more than 26,000 litter records as part of our anomaly and fertility testing programme and 55,000 finishers informative to growth rate and carcass traits.
Boar testing facts and figures:
over 40 farms
across Germany – from the coast to the Alps – are involved in the test programme
over 28,000 fattening places
are available for performance testing so our boars can be classified in the top genetic classes
over 11,000 sows
are used for anomaly and fertility monitoring – 3,00 sows of it are used for progeny testing
approx. 55,000 finished pigs
and their carcass results can be assigned to their individual sire annually (= approx. 100 pigs per test boar!)
From young boar to top-ranking sire
- Semen of young AI boars is sent to weaner production contract farms.
- Each sow is mated to one(!) boar only.
- Non return rate, litter size and anomalies are recorded on farm using db.Planer. Data is transferred to central data base via interfaces.
In addition, each piglet on test farms participating in our progeny test system is individually tagged so that its pedigree can be traced at any time.
Boars are continuously monitored with regard to their paternal fertility, anomaly rates, growth rates and carcass traits. Poor-performing boars are quickly culled.
Performance and carcass data are collected from the test farm and abattoir and used for genetic evaluation. Boars are classified in the top genetic or standard genetic profile classes on this basis. The bottom third are culled.
Young boars (test boars)
After moving into the AI centres, the young boars are mated with approx. 14 sows to produce the progeny for testing performance and carcass traits.
Piglet production test farm
We use the db.Planer to record and reliably analyse return-to-oestrus rates, anomaly rates and litter size.
Test finishing farm
We have over 20 farms throughout Germany for testing finishing performance.
Abattoir trait recording
Carcass data from the test finishers are collected by BHZP staff on site. We gather data from approx. 100 offspring per test boar!
Genetic evaluation/selection
On the basis of these data, we estimate breed values for the boars and assign them to one of three classes: >top genetic class<, >standard boar< or >cull boar<.
Top-genetic class boars
At BHZP, we set very high standards: Only the top third of progeny-tested boars earn >top genetic class< status.