title: Performance of finishing pigs in hoop structures and confinement during winter and summer.
abstract: Performance of finishing pigs in hoop structures or confinement during winter and summer was evaluated in Iowa. Hoops are large, tent-like shelters with cornstalks or straw for bedding. During summer and winter seasons for 3 yr (1998 to 2001), six trials were conducted using three hoop barns (designed for 150 pigs per pen, one pen per hoop) or a mechanically ventilated confinement barn with slatted floors (designed for 22 pigs per pen, six pens in the barn). A total of 3,518 pigs started the trials. Summer trials were June through October, and winter trials were December through April. Target stocking density was 1.11 m2/pig in hoops and 0.74 m2/pig in confinement. Identical corn-based diets were fed ad libitum from 16 to 118 kg for 127 d. Pigs were scanned before harvest for backfat and loin muscle area. When seasons were merged (season x housing interaction, P > or = 0.05), hoop-fed pigs had more backfat (21.8 +/- 0.3 vs 20.8 +/- 0.2 mm; P < 0.001), smaller loin muscle area (41.3 +/- 0.3 vs 43.0 +/- 0.2 cm2; P < 0.001), less lean percentage (51.1 +/- 0.2 vs 52.1 +/- 0.1%; P < 0.001), and less yield (74.9 vs 75.8 +/- 0.1%; P < 0.001) than confinement-fed pigs. When season x housing type interactions were observed (P < 0.004), summer hoop-fed pigs had greater ADG (834 +/- 5 vs 802 +/- 3 g/d; P < 0.001), required fewer days to 113 kg (174.9 +/- 0.9 vs 178.5 +/- 0.6 d; P < 0.01), had similar ADFI (2.40 +/- 0.03 vs 2.35 +/- 0.02 kg/d, as-fed basis) and gain:feed (G:F; 348 +/- 4 vs 342 +/- 3 g/kg) compared with confinement-fed pigs. Lean gain/day and efficiency of lean gain did not differ between housing systems. During winter, hoop-fed pigs had similar ADG (794 +/- 5 vs 801 +/- 3 g/ d), required more days to 113 kg (176.7 +/- 0.9 vs 172.9 +/- 0.6 d; P < 0.01), had greater ADFI (2.54 +/- 0.03 vs 2.35 +/- 0.02; P < 0.001), less G:F (313 +/- 4 vs 341 +/- 3; P < 0.001), less lean gain/day (312 +/- 2 vs 322 +/- 1 g/d; P < 0.01), and less efficiency of lean gain (130 +/- 2 vs 144 +/- 1 g lean gain/kg feed; P < 0.01) than confinement-fed pigs. Percentage of mortalities and culls did not differ between housing systems. During summer, there was a trend for fewer light pigs at marketing (< 100 kg) from hoops (0.8 vs 1.7%; P = 0.10). During winter, there were more light pigs at marketing from hoops (3.9 vs 1.3%; P = 0.01) than from confinement. Bedding use in hoops was 92 and 122 kg/pig for summer and winter, respectively. Performance of finishing pigs in bedded hoop structures depends in part on thermal environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames 50011, USA. honeyman@iastate.edu
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Honeyman
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Harmon
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000254:growth & development; D000821:Animal Feed; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal / Q000145:classification / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000254:growth & development; D011156:Population Density; D011897:Random Allocation; D012621:Seasons; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development*; D015430:Weight Gain