The objective of this study was to measure the water disappearance in the drinker and the pattern of daily water intake and estimate the amount of water wasted in pig production. The study will also generate information about the daily behaviour of water intake of pigs in the growing and finishing phases. Sixty male pigs with an average initial weight of 44.43 kg subjected to immunocastration were used. Animals received feed and water ad libitum. The animal-performance data, temperature and humidity, and feed and water intake behaviour were collected in real time during the entire experimental period, while water volume consumed was measured daily. The average water disappearance (WD) was 7.98 L, which increased during the studied period, and 29.07% of this corresponds to the estimated water wasted. The daily WD behaviour revealed an increasing pattern throughout the day for growing and finishing periods, with the registered peak at 16:00 and 15:00 h and intake of 6.24 and 9.48 L, respectively. The time spent drinking (TSD) and number of drinker visits (NDV) also showed a peak in the afternoon: 13:00 and 17:00 h for growing and finishing phases, respectively. The TSD was 282.73 and 268.36 s, and the NDV values were 16.13 and 13.84 for growing and finishing phases, respectively. The results demonstrated an increasing pattern during the animal housing period in WD that is proportional to dry matter intake and body weight, and the water wasted represents a significant portion of WD. The daily pattern of WD, TSD, and NDV increase during the total and growing periods, presenting peak activity at 13:00 h. During the finishing phase, TSD and NDV present a pattern similar to the growing phase, but the peak occurs in the last hour of the day.

The objective of this work was to compare the performance of the nonlinear Gompertz, logistic, and von Bertalanffy equations, to describe the growth curve of immunocastrated male pigs from birth until reaching 140 kg body weight. Standard error, number of iterations, mean square of the error, and coefficient of determination were compared between the models. The logistic and von Bertalanffy equations do not accurately estimate the initial and slaughter weights. The Gompertz equation shows the highest reliability and is, therefore, the most suitable one to describe the growth curve of immunocastrated pigs from birth until 140 kg body weight is reached.

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The aim of this study was to determine the chemical composition, digestibility, and net energy (NE) of broken rice (BRR), stabilized rice bran (SRB), and parboiled rice bran (PRB) for piglets. Two digestibility trials were performed with 12 and 18 male pigs with initial weights of 8 and 16kg, respectively. We performed total fecal collection using ferric oxide as fecal marker. The digestibility coefficients of organic matter, crude protein, and gross energy were higher (P<0.001) for the BRR compared to the SRB and PRB. The PRB presented a digestible energy 2% lower than that of BR and 5% higher than that of SRB. For BRR, average NE value was 3,228kcal/kg dry matter (DM), and the difference between the lower and higher value was 311kcal/kg DM. Average NE values of SRB and PRB were 2,896 and 3,293kcal/kgDM, respectively. The difference between the energy predicted by each equation reached 190kcal/kgDM for SRB and 285kcal/kgDM for PRB. In conclusion, BRR showed higher nutrient digestibility coefficients, except for EE and GE, which can be attributed to differences in the production processes. Regardless of the type of feedstuff tested, equations to predict NE values should be used carefully due to considerable differences in energy content.

Context An adequate management of water use is essential in agricultural systems, including pig farming. Reducing the water footprint is important to preserve this natural resource, although there is limited qualitative information about water intake and water intake behaviour, especially in immunocastrated pigs. Aim The objective of this study was to compare water disappearance, and estimate wasted water and water intake behaviour for immunocastrated and surgically castrated male pigs. Methods Twenty-four surgically castrated male pigs and 24 entire male pigs submitted to immunocastration were used, with an average initial weight of 29.3 kg (±1.9 kg) and an age of 75 days. The pigs were housed in a growing–finishing facility with 24 pens and two animals per pen; each pen was equipped with a semi-automatic feeder and a bite-ball drinker with a water meter. The disappearance of water was measured by collecting the values of the water meters on a daily basis, and the water intake behaviour was determined by collecting the values of the water meters per hour. Water input and output values were estimated, and wasted water was calculated by subtracting the input from the output value. Key results The weekly average water disappearance for surgically castrated males was higher (P &lt; 0.05) than that for immunocastrated males, except in the last 2 weeks of the experimental period; the same was observed when expressed based on weight. Castrated animals also wasted 21.4% more water than immunocastrated animals. Regarding the water consumption profile, there were no differences between the two groups; water consumption was higher in the afternoon. The lower water disappearance in immunocastrated pigs was due to the increase in feed intake after the second dose of the immunocastration vaccine and to the lower amounts of waste because of less aggressive behaviour. Conclusion Immunocastrated male pigs have a smaller water footprint, but a similar water intake behaviour compared with surgically castrated animals. Implications Knowledge of the profile of water intake and a way to estimate water waste allows more efficient and sustainable management of water resources in pig production systems.