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Sows in heat due to Dutch singer

//08 Sep 2011

By Vincent ter Beek

Pigs like music – that’s a well-known fact. It’s lesser known, however, that certain singers may have an exceptional influence on sows getting in heat.

A Dutch pig producer recently found out that music by the national singer Jan Smit particularly turns on his sow herd as he noted the sows sounding differently, sows were more ready for insemination, semen uptake went quicker and fewer sows returned to oestrus.

He even expects more piglets to be born per sow.

I don't know - maybe it's something to chuckle at. Doubts?

– you can always give it a try… Let me know the outcome!

Any good suggestions here? Do Italian singers have the same effect? Some African percussion or Argentinian tango perhaps? Let us know!

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Comments (3)

I suupose we`ve alwys thought that familiar sounds reduce stress in pigs. It`s called `habituation`.
However an interesting experience happened to me three years ago on a large Eastern Bloc breeding farm
I was touring the farm with the owner and it was obvious that the weaner nursery pigs were extremely excited when we entered the romms - far more so than normaeven slamming into the rear wall in their panic
The pigs were being played very loud rock-and-roll musc (or whatever today`s youngsters call it) from the staff`s transistor radios, which I`m sure was for the workres benefit rather than the pigs! I suggested that it should be toned right down or changed to `mood music` or Mozart. "But the men wouldn`t accept that!" the owner remarked. So I left it at that.
Nevertheless when I visited again six months later the loud music was gone and the nursery pigs far quieter.

John Gadd at 12-09-2011 12:02

If News of the World would still exist, tomorrow's headline would read: Jan Smit renders pigs pregnant.

Hans at 13-09-2011 15:08

Finally I 'understand' the success of this kind of music (=

Frans at 14-09-2011 16:50