The effect of increasing slaughter weight on the production performance and meat quality of finishing pigs

1998 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. N. Weatherup ◽  
V. E. Beattie ◽  
B. W. Moss ◽  
D. J. Kilpatrick ◽  
N. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Daily Food Intake ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Slaughter Weight ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Ad Libitum

AbstractA study was made in two parts to establish the production performance potential of pigs taken to heavy slaughter weights (a) in individual housing and (b) in group housing. In experiment 1 96 crossbred pigs, comprised of equal numbers of boars, castrated males and gilts, were housed individually from 50 kg live weight and offered food ad libitum until one of four target slaughter weights was reached (70, 80, 90 or 100 kg carcass weight). Detailed dissection and meat quality assessments were performed on sample joints taken from these pigs. There were significant interactions in that boars maintained a high level offood conversion efficiency while this deteriorated at heavier weights for castrated males and gilts. Protein deposition rates (PDR) were estimated to be close to, or in excess of, 200 glday for boars. Daily live-weight gains were similar at all four slaughter weights despite increases (P < 0·001) in daily food intake at the heavier weights. Sample joint contents of lean (P < 0·05) and bone (P = 0·001) decreased while subcutaneous fat content increased (P < 0·001) with increasing slaughter weight. Cooking loss was reduced (P < 0·001) at the heavier weights while other meat quality parameters were not significantly affected by slaughter weight or gender. In experiment 2 288 group-housed boars and gilts were slaughtered at the same four target carcass weights as in experiment 1. Daily food intake, daily live-weight gain and variability in performance were lower for group-housed animals. It is concluded that maximum lean growth lies beyond ad libitum food intake for group-housed pigs of the genotype used in the present study. There are opportunities to take pigs to high slaughter weights with no reduction in daily live-weight gain and concomitant improvements in some aspects of meat quality.

The effect of nutrition on the reproductive performance of first-litter sows 1. Feeding level during lactation, and between weaning and mating

1984 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. King ◽  
I. H. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Litter Size ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Factorial Experiment ◽  
Daily Food Intake ◽  
Feeding Level ◽  
Lactation Length ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Ad Libitum

ABSTRACTA factorial experiment was conducted with 80 first-litter sows and involved two levels of feeding during lactation (ad libitum or 2·0 kg/day), and two levels of feeding between weaning and mating (4·0 or 1·5 kg/day).Average lactation length was 32·2 days. Sows given 2·0 kg/day during lactation lost more backfat (6·3 v. 0·9 mm; P < 0·05) and more live weight (36·8 v. 9·1 kg; P < 0·05) during lactation than sows fed ad libitum and whose average daily food intake was 4·47 kg. Sows receiving 20 kg/day during lactation took longer to return to oestrus after weaning. Within 8 days of weaning more sows fed ad libitum during lactation ovulated (0·90 v. 0·40; x2 = 20·0; P < 0·001) and exhibited oestrus (0·78 v. 0·38; x2 = 12·8; P < 0·001) than sows whose food intake throughout lactation was restricted. Ovulation rate, subsequent litter size and embryonic mortality were not significantly affected by feeding level during lactation.Post-weaning feeding level did not affect the interval between weaning and oestrus. However, sows receiving 4·0 kg/day between weaning and mating had higher ovulation rates (14·8 v. 13·0; P < 0·05) and a greater litter size (10·0 v. 8·8; P < 0·1) at the subsequent farrowing.

The intensive rearing of lambs 1. Some factors affecting performance in the liquid feeding period

1967 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. R. Davies ◽  
J. B. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Solid Food ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Liquid Feeding ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Factors Affecting Performance ◽  
Milk Feeding

1. Investigations into possible ways of rearing artificially the lambs surplus to the ewe's capacity are described and the results discussed.2. A ewe-milk replacer with a high fat content was used from 2 days of age until weaning at 11.4 kg live weight. Two levels of milk feeding, restricted and ad libitum, were given in the second year. Significant differences were observed in live weight gain per day, milk consumption per kg live weight gain and solid food intake prior to weaning. Live weight gain and solid food intake in the period immediately after weaning also differed markedly. Sex and birth weight had little effect on performance.3. Food costs were lower on the restricted level of milk feeding than on the ad libitum level.

Efficiency of food utilization and carcass characteristics of steers marketed at different weights

1985 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Hironaka ◽  
B. H. Sonntag ◽  
G. C. Kozub
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
High Weight ◽  
Carcass Characteristics ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Carcass Weight ◽  
Backfat Thickness ◽  
Food Utilization ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Slaughter Weight ◽  
Ad Libitum

ABSTRACTHereford and Charolais x Hereford steer calves were given an all-concentrate diet ad libitum. The Hereford steer calves were marketed at about 400, 440 and 475 kg live weight. The Charolais x Hereford steer calves were marketed at about 525, 570 and 610 kg. For each kg increase in slaughter weight of Hereford steers, the digestible energy required per unit live weight gain increased by 0·024 (s.e. 0·009) MJ, the killing-out proportion increased by 0·22 (s.e. 0·08) g/kg, and the backfat thickness by 0·004 (s.e. 0·002) cm. The area of m. longissimus increased by 0·245 (s.e. 0·037) cm2 and 0·139 (s.e. 0·048) cm2 for Hereford and Charolais X Hereford steers, respectively, for each kg increase in carcass weight. Among Hereford steers, mean backfat thickness as indicated by carcass grade scores (score of 1 to 4 as backfat increases) at the two lowest slaughter weights were similar and lower than scores at the high weight. Among Charolais X Hereford steers, the carcass grade was not influenced by slaughter weight. Slaughtering Hereford and Charolais x Hereford steers at light weights does not ensure that all the carcasses will be lean when the cattle are given a high concentrate diet to appetite from weaning to slaughter.

A note on the growth and food consumption of crossbred lambs of five sire breeds

1983 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Woolliams ◽  
G. Wiener
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Fish Meal ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Food Conversion ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Ad Libitum

ABSTRACTLambs, 8 weeks of age, the offspring of sires of the Scottish Blackface, East Friesland, Finnish Landrace, Suffolk and Texel breeds mated to Scottish Blackface females as a common maternal breed were fed ad libitum on a concentrate containing barley and fish meal for 14 weeks. Live weight and food intake were measured at intervals of 2 weeks.Live-weight gain varied between sire breeds, Suffolk crosses having the greatest growth rate and the Blackface lambs the least, but there were no significant differences in their food conversion ratios. Food intakes were compared with those predicted by two methods. When the only criteria for prediction were live weight and the metabolizability of the diet the prediction was poor, whereas very accurate agreement was found when the criteria for prediction included consideration of the changes in energy efficiency with food intake and with maturity.

Selection for improved food conversion ratio on ad libitum group feeding in pigs

1983 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Webb ◽  
J. W. B. King
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Conversion Ratio ◽  
Food Conversion ◽  
Daily Food Intake ◽  
Food Conversion Ratio ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Group Feeding ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Selection For

ABSTRACTAn experiment was conducted to show the effectiveness of selection for improved food conversion ratio on ad libitum group feeding. Selection (32 ♀♀ and 8 ♂♂) and unselected control (32 ♀♀ and 16 ♂♂ lines were maintained for seven generations at the rate of one per year. Progeny were fed ad libitum from 27 to 82 kg live weight: boars singly or in pairs, and gilts in litter groups. Selection was on pen average food conversion ratio (food/live-weight gain), recalculated as each pig reached 82 kg.In spite of selection differentials averaging 0·61 s.d. per generation, there was no response (selection minus control) in food conversion at Generation 6 (−0·03, s.e. 0·08). However, there were correlated increases in daily live-weight gain (56, s.e. 18 g), daily food intake (145, s.e. 59 g) and ultrasonic backfat (2·4, s.e. 0·4 mm). In Generation 7, 146 full-sib pairs (male castrate and gilt) were tested on ad libitum or scale (0·77 g/g ad libitum daily food intake) feeding. Line by feeding regime interactions were absent for all traits except killing-out proportion and belly thickness.The increased fatness of the selection line on ad libitum feeding was retained on the scale (2·2 v. 2·4, s.e. 10 mm), suggesting a primary difference in partition of nutrients rather than intake. The selection procedure adopted was not successful in improving food conversion, but no clear conclusions could be drawn from the experiment. Uncertainty remains as to the value of group food consumption measurements in selection programmes.

Genotype with nutrition interactions for carcass composition and meat quality in pig genotypes selected for components of efficient lean growth rate

1999 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. D. Cameron ◽  
J. C. Penman ◽  
A. C. Fisken ◽  
G. R. Nute ◽  
A. M. Perry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Selection Line ◽  
Quality Traits ◽  
Daily Food Intake ◽  
Feeding Regime ◽  
Meat Quality Traits ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Ad Libitum

AbstractGenotype with nutrition interactions in carcass composition and meat quality traits were examined by testing pigs from four selection lines and a control line on isoenergetic diets, which differed in lysine: energy content. The selected lines resulted from seven generations of selection for high daily food intake, lean food conversion ratio (LFC) and lean growth rate onad-libitumor restricted (LGS) feeding regimes in a Large White population. There were 128 pigs in the study, with 24 pigs per selection line and 32 pigs from a control line. During performance test, 30 to 90 kg, pigs were offered one of three isoenergetic diets, 14·0 MJ digestible energy (DE) per kg dry matter, which differed in ileal digestible lysine: digestible energy (A: 0·40 , C: 0·76 and E: 1·12 g lysine per MJ DE) onad-libitumor restricted (0.75 g/gad-libitumdaily food intake) feeding regimes.For the majority of performance test, carcass composition and meat quality traits there was no evidence of a genotype with diet or genotype with feeding regime interaction. The selection line with feeding regime interactions for average daily gain, daily food intake and rates of lean and subcutaneous fat deposition were primarily due to no feeding regime effect for the LFC selection line. Selection for high LFC had reducedad-libitumdaily food intake to such an extent that it was not significantly different from daily food intake on a restricted feeding regime, unlike other selection lines in the study. A selection line with feeding regime interaction was detected for muscle рH24hand muscle reflectance, which resulted from the LGS selection line. LGS pigs offered food ad libitum had higher muscle рH24hand lower muscle reflectance than LGS pigs given food at a restricted level, while there was no effect of feeding regime for the other selection lines.The general absence of genotype with nutrition interactions for traits measured in the study indicated that the ranking of genotypes for performance test traits, carcass composition and meat quality traits will not be dependent on diet or feeding regime. Genotype specific nutritional inputs will also not be required for identification of pigs of high genetic merit, within a genotype. However, diet and feeding regime had significant effects on carcass composition and meat quality traits, such that the estimated mean value of a genotype will be dependent on the diet or feeding regime used to evaluate the genotype.

The utilization by beef cattle of a cereal supplement given in liquid suspension or in the dry form

1973 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Renton ◽  
T. J. Forbes
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Food Conversion ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Liquid Suspension

SUMMARYAn experiment was carried out in which a cereal supplement was given to beef cattle, either in suspension in water or as a dry supplement. There were no significant differences between treatments in live-weight gain, food intake or food conversion ratios. Although there was a tendency for the digestibility coefficients of all constituents to be lower on the diet containing the liquid supplement, the differences were not statistically significant. It is concluded that giving a supplement in suspension has no adverse effect on the utilization of the overall diet and could facilitate mechanization of the feeding operation.

A comparison of the nursing and suckling behaviour of group- and individually-housed sows and their litters

1983 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Bryant ◽  
P. Rowlinson ◽  
H. A. M. Van der Steen
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
The Other ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Ad Libitum

ABSTRACTNursing frequency, suckling duration and teat order were recorded in 12 ‘hybrid’ sows and their litters from parturition to weaning at day 42 post partum. Sows and their litters were moved from the farrowing quarters at day 20; half were housed as a group (G) and fed ad libitum with a boar present and the other half were housed individually (S) with no boar present and ration-fed to scale.Some differences occurred in behaviour from day 20. A significantly greater number of false nursing periods, significant synchronization of nursing periods, and a tendency for more long and short nursing intervals occurred in G than S sows and litters. The duration of the preliminary nosing phase and the total nursing period were significantly longer in S than G litters. Teat order scores, indicating consistency of piglet suckling position on the sow, tended to be greater in S than G litters, and there was a fall in the score for G litters in the weeks following grouping. This was associated with a check in live-weight gain.All G sows showed oestrus during lactation, on average 15 days after grouping. There was no incidence of lactational oestrus in the S sows which showed oestrus 5 days after weaning.

Tests of two theories of food intake using growing pigs 1. The effect of ambient temperature on the intake of foods of differing bulk content

2001 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Whittemore ◽  
I. Kyriazakis ◽  
G.C. Emmans ◽  
B.J. Tolkamp
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Growing Pigs ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Biological Efficiency ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Fresh Food ◽  
High Bulk

AbstractAn experiment was carried out on pigs to provide a test of two current conceptual frameworks available for the understanding and prediction of food intake. Framework 1 assumes that food intake will be that which allows potential (genetic) performance to be achieved. If this is not achieved then it is because intake is being constrained. Framework 2 sees food intake as being a consequence of a process of optimization such that biological efficiency (the ratio of net energy ingested to oxygen consumed) is maximized. Both frameworks predict that a reduction in temperature will increase the intake of a high quality food. For a food of low quality framework 2 predicts that intake will also be increased when temperature is decreased while framework 1 predicts that it will not. This difference between the predictions of the two frameworks allows them to be tested by means of an experiment in which foods of different quality were given to animals at different environmental temperatures.Forty pigs were randomly allocated to a control (C) food based on micronized wheat with 13·1 MJ digestible energy (DE) and 232 g crude protein (CP) per kg fresh food, or one of two high bulk foods. The high bulk foods contained either 650 g/kg of unmolassed sugar-beet pulp (SBP) or 650 g/kg of wheat bran (WB). Half the pigs were maintained at a thermoneutral temperature of 22ºC for 14 days followed by a cold temperature of 12ºC for 14 days. The other half were maintained at 12ºC for a period of 14 days followed by a temperature of 22ºC for 14 days. Food intake was recorded daily and live weight twice weekly.There was a highly significant food ✕ temperature interaction ( P < 0·001) for food intake. A reduction in temperature resulted in an increase in food intake on C and WB but had no effect on the intake of SBP. There was a highly significant effect of both temperature and food on intake ( P < 0·001). A reduction in temperature resulted in a significant increase in food intake, intake on WB was higher than that of either C or SBP. There was no overall effect of temperature on live-weight gain although a reduction in temperature resulted in a non-significant increase in the gain of C and reduction in the gain of WB and SBP. There was a highly significant effect of food ( P < 0·001) on live-weight gain, as gain on C was higher than that on either WB or SBP.The results of the experiment were in agreement with the predictions set forward by the first framework that growing pigs are eating to achieve maximum performance subject to constraints.

scholarly journals Comparison of a Plantain-Chicory Mixture with a Grass Permanent Sward on the Live Weight Gain and Meat Quality of Lambs

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2275
Author(s):  
Romina Rodríguez ◽  
Oscar Balocchi ◽  
Daniel Alomar ◽  
Rodrigo Morales
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Temperate Grasslands ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Final Weight ◽  
Sheep Production

Under the predicted conditions of climate change, the productivity of temperate grasslands may be affected by drought stress, especially in spring and summer. In this scenario, water-deficit-tolerant species such as plantain and chicory are interesting alternatives for use in sheep production systems. In this study, we compared a mixture of plantain and chicory herbage (PCH) with a grass-based permanent sward (GBS) on the weight gain and meat quality of lambs finished on these grasslands. Fifteen weaned lambs (31.3 kg and 4 months of age) were assigned to each treatment for seven weeks in late spring and live weight gain (LWG), carcass and meat quality were evaluated. There was a tendency (p = 0.09) in final weight (40.3 ± 0.8 kg) and live weight gain (173 ± 10 g/d) to be higher in PCH compared to GBS. Carcass weight, dressing percentage and meat quality in terms of pH, color and tenderness did not differ (p > 0.05) and were considered to be of good quality. We concluded that both swards result in comparable lamb performance and good meat quality.

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