The present study was designed to determine the
effect of breed, parity, teat pair position, and litter
size on udder morphology. One of the most significant
findings to emerge from this study was that udder
conformation varies according to the sow breed. This
result should be a basis to carry out further investigation
on the heritability of these traits and their contribution
to improving sow nursing capacity. First parity
sows had smaller udder and teat dimensions; these
results were concordant in both a cross-sectional and
longitudinal study. According to the teat pair position,
3 categories of teat and udder region could be created.
Anterior–posteriors teats were closer to the abdominal
midline, more distant from each other, allowing more
space between piglets, and had LEN and DIA smaller
than the middle teat pairs. To conclude, the sow udder
has a characteristic morphology influenced by the
breed and parity number of the animal. Further investigation
should study the relationship between these
morphology traits and the piglets’ suckling behavior
and performance.