EFFECTS OF EARLY WEANING OF PIGS TO A DRY OR LIQUID MILK DIET ON SUBSEQUENT GROWTH AND CARCASS MEASUREMENTS
Forty-five Yorkshire baby pigs from five litters (9 pigs from each litter and with mean body weight 1.9kg), at two days of age were randomly, within litter, left with the sow to 21 days of age (treatment 1), weaned to a 24% protein dry diet fed ad libitum (treatment 2), or to homogenized cow milk fed in restricted amounts four times daily to 21 days of age (treatment 3). From day 22, all pigs were fed a corn-soybean meal type diet containing 18% protein to 10 weeks of age, and a similar diet containing 16% protein from 10 weeks of age to slaughter at approximately 160 days. Average daily weight gain (ADG) and live body weight at slaughter were significantly lower, and feed/gain significantly higher among cow milk-fed pigs (treatment 3) than among pigs left with the sow until 3 weeks (treatment 1) and pigs weaned to dry diet (treatment 2). Backfat thickness, loin eye area, yield of lean cuts and dressing percent did not differ significantly among treatments. The results confirmed that weaning at two to three days to a dry diet fed ad libitum or to cow milk fed in restricted amounts four times daily is feasible, but overall performance from birth to slaughter of pigs weaned to a dry diet at two days of age was similar to that of pigs weaned at three weeks of age and superior to that of pigs weaned to cow milk at two days of age.