Management factors affecting mortality, feed intake and feed conversion ratio of grow-finishing pigs

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of animal management and farm facilities on total feed intake (TFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality rate (MORT) of grower-finishing pigs. In total, 310 batches from 244 grower-finishing farms, consisting of 454 855 Pietrain sired pigs in six Spanish pig companies were used. Data collection consisted of a survey on management practices (season of placement, split-sex by pens, number of pig origins, water source in the farm, initial or final BW) and facilities (floor, feeder, ventilation or number of animals placed) during 2008 and 2009. Results indicated that batches of pigs placed between January and March had higher TFI ( P = 0.006), FCR ( P = 0.005) and MORT ( P = 0.03) than those placed between July and September. Moreover, batches of pigs placed between April and June had lower MORT ( P = 0.003) than those placed between January and March. Batches which had split-sex pens had lower TFI ( P = 0.001) and better FCR ( P < 0.001) than those with mixed-sex in pens; pigs fed with a single-space feeder with incorporated drinker also had the lowest TFI ( P < 0.001) and best FCR ( P < 0.001) in comparison to single and multi-space feeders without a drinker. Pigs placed in pens with <50% slatted floors presented an improvement in FCR ( P < 0.05) than pens with 50% or more slatted floors. Batches filled with pigs from multiple origins had higher MORT ( P < 0.001) than those from a single origin. Pigs housed in barns that performed manual ventilation control presented higher MORT ( P < 0.001) in comparison to automatic ventilation. The regression analysis also indicated that pigs which entered to grower-finisher facilities with higher initial BW had lower MORT ( P < 0.05) and finally pigs which were sent to slaughterhouse with a higher final BW presented higher TFI ( P < 0.001). The variables selected for each dependent variable explained 61.9%, 24.8% and 20.4% of the total variability for TFI, FCR and MORT, respectively. This study indicates that farms can increase growth performance and reduce mortality by improving farm facilities and/or modifying management practices.

Influence of production factors on feed intake and feed conversion ratio of grow-finishing pigs

“…For total variance explained by the FC model, 19.9% was observed in the present study, which was a closer value to that obtained by Agostini et al (2014) (24.8%) and distant from that observed by Pierozan et al (2016) (64%). All of these studies used a multiple linear regression model to quantify the factors that act on pig performance characteristics.…”

“…The work model followed the methods by Agostini et al (2014) in three stages. The first was the choice of the variables of livestock interest, which is the most important production factor in the cooperative complex (Tables 1 and 2).…”

“…To ensure representation, information from all of the farms belonging to the cooperative was collected. Furthermore, as opposed to Agostini et al (2014), data were collected in the present study from a larger number of batches per farm (approximately 7.12 batches per farm).…”

Fatores que afetam o desempenho de suínos nas fases de crescimento e terminação

“…Em estudos a respeito de granjas de crescimento e terminação de suínos, foram utilizados modelos de regressão para correlacionar fatores de produção com desempenho (Oliveira et al, 2009;Agostini et al, 2014;Agostini et al, 2015;Pierozan et al, 2016), principalmente em relação à carcaça (Tuovinen et al, 1992) e à sanidade (Nollet et al, 2004). Mais recentemente, em metanálise, Douglas et al (2015) utilizaram modelos multivariados para avaliar os efeitos de fatores relacionados às características do ambiente, do animal e do alimento sobre o desempenho -(ganho de peso diário, consumo de ração e conversão alimentar) de suínos na fase de crescimento e terminação.…”

Editorial: Agroecology for producing goods and services in sustainable animal farming systems

“…They conclude on the need for a proper assessment at the farm level of the social, economic and environmental consequences of such nutritional changes. Agostini et al (2014) illustrate how grow-finishing pig farms can increase their technical and economic performance by improving farm facilities and modifying batch management practices. Gilles et al (2014) discuss how an integrated, self-contained, fish-plankton system can provide technical, environmental and economic advantages for fish aquaculture in Amazonia compared with the traditional outdoor production.…”