scholarly journals Productivity and aggression at grouping of grower-finisher pigs in large groups

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thusith S Samarakone ◽  
Harold W Gonyou

A total of eight 11-wk trials were conducted to evaluate the productivity and aggression at grouping of grower-finisher pigs [initial body weight (BW) = 31.8 ± 5.4 kg (mean ± SD), n = 2304] in two group size treatments (18 and 108 pigs pen-1). Pigs were housed on fully-slatted floors, provided one wet/dry feeder space for every nine pigs, and a floor space allowance of 0.76 m2 pig-1 in both group sizes. The level of aggression at grouping was recorded for 2 h starting 0, 24 and 48 h following grouping into small and large groups. Pigs were weighed on weeks 0, 2, 5, 7 and 11, and average daily gain (ADG) was obtained. Average daily feed intake (ADFI) was recorded during two periods (weeks 2 to 5 and 7 to 11). There was no difference in percentage of time spent on aggression between two group sizes up to 48 h following grouping. ADG for the entire 11-wk trial was affected (2%) by large group size (0.971 and 0.955 kg d-1 for groups of 18 and 108, respectively; P < 0.05). However, the greatest effect on ADG was observed during the first 2 wk following grouping (0.919 and 0.833 kg d-1 for groups of 18 and 108, respectively; P < 0.001). There were no significant effects due to group size on ADFI, feed efficiency, variability in final BW within a pen, carcass traits or mortality and morbidity (P > 0.05). In summary, the overall productivity and aggression at grouping did not differ substantially between group sizes of 18 and 108 pigs pen-1. Key words: Large groups, grower-finisher, pigs, productivity, aggression

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Friesen ◽  
E. Kiarie ◽  
C. M. Nyachoti

Five corn-soybean-based diets were formulated to contain 0, 15, 20, 25, or 30% raw peas and fed for 35 d to ninety-six 21-d-old pigs. Raw peas were included at the expense of corn and soybean meal. Increasing levels of raw peas depressed daily gain (P = 0.07), feed intake (P = 0.04) from days 21 to 56. Specifically, pigs fed diet with 25% peas had 19 and 25% lower average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI), respectively, than pigs fed the diet with 0% peas. The body weight (BW) was also linearly reduced (P = 0.10) on day 56. However, diets did not affect feed efficiency. Key words: Growth performance, peas, pig


2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. D. Ekpe ◽  
R. T. Zijlstra ◽  
J. F. Patience

Phosphorus excretion may have a major impact on the environment if it is not managed properly. The success of management strategies for reducing P excretion of pigs is dependent partly on more accurate estimates of P requirements, specifically digestible instead of total P requirements. Performance and metabolism studies were conducted to determine digestible P requirements of grower pigs based on performance, plasma and bone P, and P excretion and retention variables, using 200 pigs (23 ± 0.9 kg) and 20 barrows (54 ± 3.1 kg), respectively. Pigs were fed one of five concentrations of dietary digestible P (0.19, 0.24, 0.33, 0.35, and 0.38%). Increasing digestible P quadratically increased average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.01), feed intake (P < 0.05), and feed efficiency (P < 0.001). Barrows had a higher ADG than gilts (0.890 vs. 0.838 kg d-1; P < 0.05); however, digestible P requirement was higher for gilts than for barrows (6.92 vs. 6.17 g d-1 or 0.36 vs. 0.32% in diet; P < 0.05). In barrows, increasing digestible P intake quadratically increased P in plasma and urine (P < 0.01), and linearly increased P in faeces (P < 0.01), suggesting that P excretion depends on excess P intake. Using regression analysis, digestible P requirements were 6.45 g d-1 with ADG, 7.46 g d-1 with bone P, 6.01 g d-1 with plasma P, 3.61 g d-1 with urinary P, 5.86 g d-1 with retained P, and 5.11 g d-1 with retained N. Feeding P closer to pig requirements will reduce P excretion. Key words: Phosphorus, requirement, pig


1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Goonewardene ◽  
J. A. Basarab ◽  
D. R. Zobell

Steers fed triticale adapted to the diet more slowly than those fed barley, resulting in reduced overall feed intake (9.4 vs. 10.5 kg d−1, P = 0.08) and average daily gain (ADG) (1.3 vs. 1.5 kg d−1, P = 0.08). No difference was detected in feed:gain ratio (7.1 vs. 6.8, P = 0.65). The reduced ADG in the triticale-fed steers may be due to reduced feed intake and the longer time required to adapt. Key words: Barley, triticale, steers, intake, performance, growth


1990 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 325-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. ZOBELL ◽  
L. A. GOONEWAR-DENE ◽  
D. F. ENGSTROM

Commercial heifers (n = 120) were randomly assigned to 12 pens (10 heifers/pen) and fed one of four grain diets in combination with barley silage and vitamin premix. Treatments were 100% barley control, 100% triticale, 50% triticale 50% barley, 25% triticale 75% barley. Treatment differences were not significant (P > 0.05) for body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), feed intake (FI) and feed:gain (FG).ADG, FI and FG for the 100% triticale treatment were 1.24 kg d−1, 7.88 kg d−1 and 6.29 kg kg−1 respectively, while in the control they were 1.23 kg d−1, 8.03 kg d and 6.39 kg kg−1. Key words: Triticale, heifers, body weight, feed:gain


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2447
Author(s):  
Isaac Hyeladi Malgwi ◽  
Luigi Gallo ◽  
Veronika Halas ◽  
Valentina Bonfatti ◽  
Giuseppe Carcò ◽  
...  

Italian dry-cured ham production requires pigs to be slaughtered at 160 ± 16 kg at 9 months of age (control, C). The study explored three alternatives, based on different feeding conditions: (1) allowing pigs to express their growth potential by letting them reach 160 ± 16 kg slaughter weight (SW) at younger slaughter age (SA) (younger Age, YA); (2) allowing pigs to express their growth potential by maximizing their SW at 9 months SA (greater weight, GW); (3) increasing the SA required to reach 160 ± 16 kg SW (older age, OA). Pigs (336 C21 Goland, 95 kg initial body weight) were slaughtered on average at 257, 230, 257, and 273 d SA and 172.7, 172.3, 192.9, and 169.3 SW kg for the four treatments, respectively. C pigs had an average daily gain (ADG) of 715 g/d and feed efficiency (FE) of 0.265 (gain to feed). Compared to C, YA pigs had higher ADG (+32%), FE (+7.5%), and better ham adiposity; GW pigs had higher carcass weight (+12%), ADG (+25%), trimmed ham weight (+10.9%), and better ham adiposity. OA treatment affected ADG (−16.4%), FE (−16.6%), and trimmed ham weight (−3.6%). YA and GW could be promising alternatives to C as they improved FE and ham quality traits.


2018 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
pp. 826-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.V. Mkwanazi ◽  
A.T. Kanengoni ◽  
M. Chimonyo

The objective of the study was to determine the interaction of pen enrichment and sex on growth performance and blood metabolite concentrations of Windsnyer pigs. Forty-eight growing Windsnyer pigs of both sexes, with an average initial body weight of 21.6 (±9.01) kg were used. Daily feed intake and weekly body weights for each pen were measured. Blood was collected at the end of the experiment. Pen environment did not affect average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain. There was a pen environment and sex interaction on ADFI. Females in barren pens had higher ADFI than enriched females but ADFI in barren and enriched pens was similar for male pigs. Pigs in enriched environment were more efficient in converting feed into body weight than those in barren environment. There was an interaction of pen environment and sex on glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and alkaline phosphatase. Enriched males had higher albumin than males in barren environment. Enriched females had higher BUN than females in barren environment. It was concluded that enriched Windsnyer pigs housed at a density of 0.39 m2 per pig, particularly females, perform better than those in barren environments.


1992 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. C. Lippold ◽  
S. C. Stothers ◽  
A. A. Frohlich ◽  
R. J. Boila ◽  
R. R. Marquardt

Diets containing zero (0), low (L) or high (H) concentrations of ochratoxin A (OA), 0.0, 0.5 and 2.5 mg kg−1 diet, respectively, were fed to barrows of initial body weight 14.8 kg (SD = 1.49) over three successive periods, each of 21-d duration. The four treatment combinations (TC1 to TC4) were the feeding of diets that differed in OA content in Periods 1 and 2, respectively, 0 and 0 diets for TC1, 0 and H diets for TC2, L and 0 diets for TC3, and L and H diets for TC4. An OA-free diet (0) was fed to all animals in Period 3. Average daily gain was lower with L (P < 0.05) and H (P < 0.01) diets compared to the 0 diet. Feed intake was lower (P < 0.05) and feed efficiency was poorer (P < 0.01) with the H compared to the 0 diet. A change in kidney function was indicated with OA in both L and H diets: (1) hyperproteinemia (P < 0.05, L and H diets), without (P > 0.05) a change in serum albumin; and (2) azotemia, a higher serum urea (P < 0.05, L diet) and creatinine (P < 0.01, L and H diets). Hypocholesterolemia and hypercalcemia were noted (P < 0.01) with the H compared to the 0 diet. The TC2 pigs recovered with a higher than normal average daily gain in Period 3 after 21 d of dietary OA in Period 2; however, the requirement for Zn and (or) P may differ after this exposure to OA. For TC4 pigs, a low serum albumin after Period 3 was indicative of a residual kidney damage after 42 d of dietary OA in Periods 1 and 2. The results suggest that pigs weighing 15 to 24 kg did not adapt to OA when a sequence of L diet followed by H diet was fed during successive 21-d periods. Key words: Pigs, ochratoxin A, growth, serum chemistry


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 193-193
Author(s):  
Eduardo Colombo ◽  
Reinaldo F Cooke ◽  
Alice Brandão ◽  
Jacob Wiegand ◽  
Kelsey Schubach ◽  
...  

Abstract This experiment evaluated the impacts of bovine appeasing substance (BAS) administration on performance, health, and physiological responses of feedlot cattle during a 45-d receiving period. A total of 342 recently-weaned Angus-influenced steers, originating from 16 cow-calf operations, were obtained from an auction yard on d -1 and road-transported (12 h) to the feedlot. Upon arrival on d 0, body weight (BW) was recorded and steers were ranked by BW and source and assigned to receive BAS (Nutricorp, Araras, SP, Brazil; n = 171) or placebo (diethylene glycol monoethyl ether; CON; n = 171). Treatments (5 mL) were topically applied to the nuchal skin area of each animal. Within treatment, calves were allocated to 1 of 24 drylot pens (12 pens/treatment) and received a free choice total-mixed ration from d 1 to 45. Calves were assessed for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) signs and feed intake was recorded from each pen daily. Steer BW was again recorded on d 1, 7, 17, 31, and 45, whereas blood samples were collected from 5 steers/pen concurrently with each BW assessment. Average daily gain was greater (P = 0.05) in BAS vs. CON calves, although final BW did not differ (P = 0.36) between treatments. No treatment effects were detected for feed intake (P = 0.95), resulting in greater (P = 0.05) feed efficiency in BAS vs. CON steers. No treatment effects were detected (P ≥ 0.37) for plasma concentrations of haptoglobin, whereas plasma cortisol concentrations were greater (P = 0.05) in CON vs. BAS steers on d 7 (treatment × day; P = 0.07). Incidence of BRD was greater (P ≤ 0.05) in BAS vs. CON on d 6 to 10 and d 18 to 21 (treatment × day; P &lt; 0.01), although overall BRD incidence did not differ (P = 0.24) between treatments. The number of antimicrobial treatments required per steer diagnosed with BRD symptoms to recover from sickness was greater (P = 0.04) in CON vs. BAS calves. No treatment differences were detected (P ≥ 0.41) for mortality incidence, or proportion of steers removed from the experiment due to extreme sickness. Results from this experiment indicate BAS administration upon feedlot entry improved average daily gain by enhancing feed efficiency. Administration of BAS facilitated earlier detection of BRD and reduced the need for antimicrobial treatments. Collectively, these results suggest BAS administration as a promising strategy to benefit performance and immunocompetence of feedlot receiving cattle.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 298-299
Author(s):  
Bailey L Basiel ◽  
Chad D Dechow ◽  
Tara L Felix

Abstract Objectives were to compare feedlot performance and carcass traits of F1 beef × Holstein steers and Holstein steers. Angus or Limousin × Holstein crossbred [n = 27; age = 12 ± 3 months; body weight (BW) = 435 ± 8 kg] and Holstein (n = 20; age = 11 ± 2 months; BW = 400 ± 9 kg) steers were fed at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Livestock Evaluation Center for 111 days. Feed intake was recorded using the GrowSafe Feed Intake Monitoring System (Model 4000E, GrowSafe Systems Ltd., Calgary AB, Canada). The diet contained corn silage, dried distillers grains, soybean meal, and cracked corn and was formulated to meet or exceed the requirements of beef cattle (NASEM, 2016). Growth performance variables of interest and carcass measurements were analyzed with the Mixed procedure of SAS (SAS 9.4; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). USDA assigned quality grades (QG) and yield grades (YG) were analyzed the with GLIMMIX procedure of SAS. Breed was a fixed effect in all models. There were no differences (P &gt; 0.05) between breeds in average daily gain or feed efficiency. Crossbreds exceeded Holsteins in initial (P &lt; 0.01) and final BW (P = 0.01), dry matter intake (P = 0.03), hot carcass weight (P &lt; 0.01), backfat (P = 0.03), and ribeye area (REA; P &lt; 0.01). Thirty-five percent (35%) of the Holsteins received a QG of Choice or above while 74% of crossbreds graded USDA Choice or above (P = 0.01). However, 75% of Holsteins were YG 2 or lower while only 45% of crossbreds achieved YG 2 or less (P = 0.05). There was no improvement in efficiency when crossbreds were compared to Holsteins; however, carcasses from crossbreds were more likely to grade USDA Choice or above while yielding greater REA and backfat than Holsteins.


2011 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 929-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Lucila Sobrinho ◽  
R.H. Branco ◽  
S.F.M. Bonilha ◽  
A.M. Castilhos ◽  
L.A. Figueiredo ◽  
...  

The objective of this work was to evaluate performance, efficiency parameters and phenotypic correlations among measurements of energy efficiency of Nellore cattle selected for post weaning weight and classified according to residual feed intake, calculated by the difference between observed and predicted intake, based on average metabolic body weight and average daily gain. Thus, animals were classified within three groups: high (> mean + 0.5 standard deviation, less efficient); medium (±0.5 standard deviation of the mean); and low (< mean - 0.5 standard deviation, more efficient) residual feed intake. No differences were observed at initial and final body weights, average daily gain and dry matter intake among groups. Animals with low residual feed intake also had greater feed efficiency, feed conversion and partial efficiency of growth and did not differ from the other animals regarding to relative growth rate and Kleiber ratio. Residual feed intake was significantly correlated to feed efficiency (-0.25), feed conversion (0.25), partial efficiency of growth (-0.37) and dry matter intake (0.16) but it did not present significant correlation with body weight (0.04), average daily gain (-0.02), relative growth rate (-0.03) and Kleiber ratio (-0.05). Significant correlations were found between feed conversion and initial body weight (0.34) and average daily gain (-0.46). Partial efficiency of growth presented significant correlation with all other efficiency parameters analyzed. Residual feed intake has high potential in productive efficiency, when compared to the other energy efficiency measurements, being independent of growth and size of the animals.


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