INFLUENCE OF LITTER SIZE INTO WHICH GILTS ARE BORN ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEMS

The aim of the study was to determine the relation between the morphometric characteristic of reproductive system of gilts and the litter size into which they are born. The research was conducted on 100 Polish Large White (PLW)gilts and 100 Polish Landrace (PL) gilts. The reproductive system was tested in respect to: uterine weight, cervical length, uterine horns length, intrauterine capacity, length of oviducts, ovarian weight and volume. The gilts were divided into 3 groups depending on the number of their siblings: below 11 piglets (group I), from 12 to 13 (group II), and more than 13 piglets (group III). The ratio between the weight of the uterus excluding the ligament and the length of its horns was significantly higher in gilts from the smallest litters. The uterine capacity was higher in PLW gilts than in PL gilts (P≤0.05). Both oviducts were longer in gilts of both breeds born in group I in comparison to group II. At the same time, PLW gilts from the largest litters also displayed significantly longer oviducts in the medium-sized litters group. In conclusion, these studies showed no negative effect of the litter size from which a gilt comes on her reproductive abilities.