Effects of temperature on the performance of finishing swine: II. Effects of a cold, diurnal temperature on average daily gain, feed intake, and feed efficiency.
Forty-eight crossbred barrows and gilts weighing 84.5 +/- .33 kg were used during two 21-d trials to investigate the effects of a cold, diurnal temperature (CD; -5.0 to 8.0 degrees C) compared with a constant, thermoneutral temperature (TN; 20 degrees C) and the effects of sex (barrows vs gilts) on performance. A second objective was to determine shrinkage as a result of a 24-h fast immediately after the 21-d study of hogs commingled vs those not commingled for both environmental treatments (CD vs TN). Pigs housed in the CD chamber gained 27.2% more slowly (P less than .001; 75 vs 1.03 kg/d) than those in the TN environment and consumed 5.7% more feed (P less than .05; 3.88 vs 3.67 kg/d). The lower ADG and higher feed intake (FI) exhibited by the CD pigs resulted in poorer (P less than .05) feed efficiency (F/G; 5.33 vs 3.73, respectively). A temperature x sex interaction occurred for ADG but not for FI or F/G. Twenty-four-hour shrink for the CD pigs was 16.4% less than for the TN pigs (3.72 vs 4.45%, respectively); however, commingling did not affect shrinkage.
Lopez
J
J
Anim. Sci. Dept., University of Missouri, Columbia 65211.
Jesse
G W
GW
Becker
B A
BA
Ellersieck
M R
MR
D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004326:Drinking; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development*; D015430:Weight Gain; D015431:Weight Loss