Observational study of factors associated with nursery pig performance.
The objective of this study was to determine the association between body weight of pigs at 7 wk of age, specific management factors, and previous body weight. Among 3736 pigs from 8 commercial farms, greater 7-wk weight was associated with greater birth weight (P = 0.001), greater weaning weight (P = 0.001), and earlier age at weaning (P = 0.001). Farms with the earliest average weaning age had the highest health status. Farms with later weaning ages tended to use nurse sows for light-weight pigs. Pigs from farms using all-in/all-out management in the nursery had greater 7-wk weights (P = 0.01). The total mortality and culling rate during the nursery phase (weaning to approximately 7 wk of age) was 6.8%. Higher losses were observed among pigs with low weaning weights (< 4.1 kg) compared with those with higher weaning weights. More of the variation due to 7-wk weight was due to individual sow rather than to farm of origin.
Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.
Angel
A
de Grau
Catherine
C
Dewey
Robert
R
Friendship
Kees
K
de Lange
D000367:Age Factors; D000821:Animal Feed; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development*; D013997:Time Factors; D014886:Weaning; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology*