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Effect of level of feed intake on the performance and carcass composition of growing pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

R. S. Barber ,
R. Braude ,
K. G. Mitchell  and
R. J. Pittman
R. S. Barber
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, Berks
R. Braude
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, Berks
K. G. Mitchell
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, Berks
R. J. Pittman
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in Dairying, Shinfield, Reading, Berks
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Summary

1. Twelve blocks of six enzootic-pneumonia-free Large White litter-mate pigs were individually fed, wet, from 20 to 92 kg live weight on six different levels of feed intake. Four groups were fed according to scales based on live weight and two were fed on a ‘semi-ad libitum’ system. One of the scales used was based on the ARC (1967) recommendations.

2. Pigs on ‘semi-ad libitum’ feeding grew significantly faster than those on scale feeding although the feed: gain ratios were similar. Differences in performance between the four scale-fed groups were relatively small.

3. Although treatment differences in carcass measurements were in the main small, the commercial grading results favoured the carcasses from the scale-fed pigs. The firmness of backfat assessed by thumb pressure was reduced as the level of feeding was increased.

4. The results were compared with those obtained in a similar trial carried out at Shinfield in 1957 using pigs of a completely different genetic background. The general conclusions reached were similar in the two trials, that to obtain the most satisfactory overall results some form of controlled scale-feeding was necessary.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , April 1972 , pp. 199 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1972

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References

REFERENCES

Agricultural Research Council. 1967. The Nutrient Requirements of Farm Livestock. No. 3, Pigs. Agricultural Research Council, London.Google Scholar
Barber, R. S., Braude, R. and Mitchell, K. G. 1957. Comparison of six different levels of feeding for fattening pigs. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 48: 347–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duncan, D. B. 1955. Multiple range and multiple F-tests. Biometrics 11: 1–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, J. H., Christie, W. W., Braude, R. and Mitchell, K. G. 1969. The effect of dietary copper on the fatty acid composition and physical properties of pig adipose tissues. Br.J. Nutr. 23: 281–287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed