Terminal boars that are to be bred to specialized female crosses should be better than average for growth and backfat so their progeny excel for postweaning performance and are lean when slaughtered. No consideration should be given to their merit for maternal traits. The use of crossbred boars has often been questioned. Research has shown that crossbred boars are more aggressive at a younger age and settle a larger percentage of sows. Their progeny are no worse when compared to pigs sired by purebred boars.
Crossbred boars do work well as terminal sires in terminal and rotaterminal programs.
For instance, if Breed F is noted for superior postweaning performance and Breed G is superior for leanness, F l boars from crossing Breeds F and G would be more aggressive breeders and their progeny should be better than average for both postweaning performance and leanness. When choosing crossbred boars, evaluation of the parents is critical. Parents of potential crossbred herd sires should rank in the top half of the herd for the traits of interest. This guide is also available in Portable Document Format. Click the PDF button to the left to get it.