EVALUATION OF TECHNIQUES FOR ESTIMATING MILK PRODUCTION BY SOWS 4. A COMPARISON OF TWO WEIGH-SUCKLE-WEIGH TECHNIQUES (OFFSPRING AND MATERNAL) FOR ESTIMATING MILK PRODUCTION

The maternal weigh-suckle-weigh (WSW) method for estimating milk production of sows was further evaluated by comparing this to the traditional WSW method. Twenty one estimates of hourly milk production were obtained by both methods. Total hourly milk production between the two methods was not significantly different (292.4 vs 303.3 g/h, p > 0.05). Hourly milk production determined by the maternal WSW method was highly correlated with hourly milk production estimates using the traditional WSW method ($R_2$ = 0.94, p < 0.001). When corrections for metabolic and salivary losses were made, the milk production figures for the maternal WSW method were approximately 27% less than those estimated by the traditional WSW method.