010 Effects of increasing space allowance by removing a pig or gate adjustment on finishing pig growth performance

C B Carpenter,J C Woodworth,R D Goodband,J M Derouchey,S S Dritz,M D Tokach,C J Holder

doi:10.2527/asasmw.2017.010

Abstract

010 Effects of increasing space allowance by removing a pig or gate adjustment on finishing pig growth performance

Highlights

Facility space is the second largest cost of pig production and efficiently using the space is important to maintain profitable pork production
D 0 to 71, pigs allowed 9.8 ft[2] had greater (P = 0.001) ADG compared with pigs with all other space allowances
Pigs allowed 9.8 ft[2] had greater (P = 0.001) ADFI compared with pigs allowed 6.8 ft[2]; intake was similar for pigs allowed increased space by gate adjustment to pigs allowed 9.8 ft[2]

Summary

Introduction

Facility space is the second largest cost of pig production and efficiently using the space is important to maintain profitable pork production. Gonyou et al (2006)[2] used the allometric expression A=k*BW0.66, where A is area allowed per pig (m2), k is a coefficient, and BW is pig weight (kg), which converts BW into a 2-dimensional concept, to describe floor space allowance in order to predict productivity Using this k value, 0.0336, the equation should indicate when crowding begins to limit growth. A study by Flohr et al (2015)[3] suggested reductions in growth due to inadequate space allowance may start to occur before pigs reach the critical k value They reported that removing pigs before the entire pen is marketed increases space allowance for remaining pigs in the pen and increases pig growth performance (Flohr et al, 2015). The objective of our study was to determine whether the increase in growth rate that occurs when pigs are removed from pens during marketing is due to increasing space allowance by pig removal or gate adjustment during the finishing period

Objectives

Results

Conclusion