Abstract
The rising prewean mortality rates in swine production are a great economic and production burden to the swine industry. The thermal environment for a piglet is commonly adapted to the piglet's specific needs with a key factor of surface area impacting all modes of heat transfer. The current standard for pig dimensions was originally accepted in 1968 and has yet to be updated with clear data from piglets during lactation. The objective of this study was to collect and evaluate the dimensions of body weight, length, height and width of piglets during lactation. Eight litters from geriatric sows (commercial cross breds) were utilized in this study with data collected every day from birth to weaning (23–32 days of age). The evaluation of the dimensions with effects of litter size and sex showed that sex of the piglet does not have a significant impact on dimensions while litter size does. The piglets in this study were smaller than the standard at birth, likely attributed to changes in genetics and an increase in total born. The results of this study showed a slight difference in dimension at the heavier weights to a study with nursery pigs however there are differences in genetics. The data and equations presented in this study will be valuable for the design of creep areas and supplemental heat sources to accommodate the size of modern piglets during lactation.
Highlights
Dimensions of livestock and poultry are critical inputs to aid in designing modern housing structures and equipment
There were a few notable days when mortalities occurred in multiple litters were the effect of litter size was not significant; the effect significance returned within the couple of days
The extent of the litter size effect in the model offers no insight into the dimension and body weight (BW) of piglets over the course of the lactation as only a small number of litters were consistently significant effects
Summary
Dimensions of livestock and poultry are critical inputs to aid in designing modern housing structures and equipment. For growing pigs and sows, space requirements of pens or stalls can be derived from capturing pig dimensions and calculating projected area based on an assumed simplified geometry or direct measurement of static and dynamic space usage. Design of equipment such as feeders, drinker height, and weighing scales, need to utilize pig dimensions to ensure proper accommodation. A reduced surface area to volume results in decreased heat dissipation to the environment. There is a continual need to maintain equations and tabulated information regarding pig dimensions to inform housing and equipment design
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
