Productive performance of pigs in different breeding stages, housed in a Wean-to-Finish system, with several stocking rates

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to analyze the productive parameters of pigs housed in single and double capacity in the nursery, growth, and finishing phases in the Wean-to-Finish (WF) system. The research was carried out in the pig sector of the Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias (CAV) at the Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), in Lages, Santa Catarina. Ninety male castrated pigs weaned at 28 days of age and with an initial mean weight of 7.91 kg were used. They were housed in a WF shed and divided into two treatments: T1 with three animals per pen, 1.5 m2 of space per animal and 0.38 m of feeder space from weaning until slaughter; and T2 with six animals per pen, 0.75 m2 of space per animal and 0.19 m of feeder space in the nursery phase (up to 63 days old); and three animals per pen, with 1.5 m2 of space per animal and 0.38 m of feeder space for the growth and termination phases. The animals were individually weighed and the average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily weight gain (ADWG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated and a randomized design with a total of 10 replicate pens per treatment (with each pen considered an experimental unit) were used. Animals were slaughtered at 161 days of age. The design was completely randomized. We found no significant difference in ADWG, ADFI, or FCR in either the nursery or growth/finish phases and also found no significant difference in carcass yield. Our results show that double stocking pigs in pens is a viable alternative that allows for the best use of facilities during the nursery period on farms that use the WF system.