Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:54:28.510Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetic and phenotypic parameter estimates for feeding pattern and performance test traits in pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

A. D. Hall ,
W. G. Hill ,
P. R. Bampton  and
A. J. Webb
A. D. Hall
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT Cotszvold Pig Development Company, Rothwell, Lincolnshire LN7 6BJ
W. G. Hill
Affiliation:
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT
P. R. Bampton
Affiliation:
Cotszvold Pig Development Company, Rothwell, Lincolnshire LN7 6BJ
A. J. Webb
Affiliation:
Cotszvold Pig Development Company, Rothwell, Lincolnshire LN7 6BJ
Get access

Abstract

The data used in these analyses were compiled from individual feeding records of 1832 pigs from 70 sire families using FIRE (food intake recording equipment) system from Hunday Electronics Ltd at the Cotswold Pig Development Company. Pigs were on test between 45 (s.d. 2·76) kg and 95 (s.d. 6·78) kg. Daily food intake (DFI kg), food intake per visit (FlV kg), number of visits per day (NV), duration of each visit (TV min), time in the feeder per day (TD min), feeding rate (FR kg/min) and number of non-feeding visits per day (NFV), were measured as means of test and DFI was also recorded as means of bi-weekly periods of test. Performance test traits ofbackfat depth off test (BF mm), food conversion ratio (ECR kg/kg) and average daily gain (ADG kg), over the test period, were also measured.

Parameters were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood with a multivariate individual animal model. DFI had a heritability of 0·21 ranging from 0·18 to 0·26 over the four test periods. Correlations between DFI in each test period were high (rg = 0·75 to 0·99). DFI was highly correlated with performance test traits (0·61 to 0·78) but had low correlations with feeding pattern traits (0·0 to 0·24). The heritabilities of feeding pattern traits were low (0·06 to 0·11) with the exception of FIV (0·27) and NV (0·34) but correlations between feeding pattern traits were high. FIV, NV and TV were moderately correlated with ADG (rg = 0·49, -0·29, 0·33 respectively), BF (rg = 0·35, -0·15, 0·17 respectively) and ECR (rg = -0·12, 0·31, -0·27 respectively). Feeding patterns may be changed substantially by selection and the genetic correlations with performance test traits indicate that feeding patterns traits can be usefully incorporated in selection criteria to improve somewhat the accuracy of selection.

Keywords

feeding frequencygenetic correlationheritabilitypigs
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 68 , Issue 1 , February 1999 , pp. 43 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1999

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Cameron, N. D. and Curran, M. K. 1994. Selection for components of efficient lean growth rate in pigs. 4. Genetic and phenotypic parameter estimates and correlated responses in performance test traits with ad-libitum feeding. Animal Production 59: 281–291.Google Scholar
Eddison, J. C. and Roberts, N. E. 1995. Variability in feeding behaviour of group-housed sows using electronic feeders. Animal Science 60: 307–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Felde, A. von, Roehe, R., Looft, H. and Kalm, E. 1996a. Multivariate genetic analysis of traits of feed intake behaviour and of performance in group-housed young boars using Gibbs-sampling. Book of abstracts of the 47th annual meeting of the European Association for Animal Production, 25-29 August, Lillehammer, Norway, vol. 2, p. 254.Google Scholar
Felde, A. von, Roehe, R., Looft, H. and Kalm, E. 1996b. Genetic association between feed intake and feed intake behaviour at different stages of growth of group-housed boars. Livestock Production Science 47: 11–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Groeneveld, E. 1994. A reparameterization to improve numerical optimisation in multivariate REML (co) variance component estimation. Genetics, Selection, Evolution 26: 537–545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gunsett, F. C. 1986. Problems associated with selection for traits defined as a ratio of two component traits. Proceedings of the third world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Lincoln, vol. 11, pp. 437–442.Google Scholar
Haer, L. C. M. de and Merks, J. W. M. 1992. Patterns of daily food intake in growing pigs. Animal Production 54: 95–104.Google Scholar
Haer, L. C. M. de and Vries, A. G. de. 1993. Effects of genotype and sex on the feed intake pattern of group housed growing pigs. Livestock Production Science 36: 223–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalm, E., Felde, A. von and Röhe, R. 1996. [New traits in station testing of pigs.] Züchtungskunde 68: 474–482.Google Scholar
Labroue, F., Sellier, P., Guéblez, R. and Meunier-Salaün, M.-C. 1996. Estimation des paramètres génétiques pour les critères de comportement alimentaire dans les races Large White et Landrace Français. Journées de la Recherche Porcine en France 28: 23–30.Google Scholar
Merks, J. W. M 1989. Genetic relations between performances in central test, on farm test and commercial fattening. Livestock Production Science 22: 325–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nielsen, B. L. 1995. Feeding behaviour of growing pigs: effect of the social and physical environment. Ph.D. thesis, University of Edinburgh. Google Scholar
Nielsen, B. L., Lawrence, A. B. and Whittemore, C. T. 1995. Effect of group size on feeding behaviour, social behaviour and performance of growing pigs using single space feeders. Livestock Production Science 44: 73–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nielsen, B. L., Lawrence, A. B. and Whittemore, C. T. 1996. Feeding behaviour of growing pigs using single or multi-space feeders. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 47: 235–246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roehe, R., Felde, A. von, Looft, H., Krapoth, J. and Kalm, E. 1994. Effect of stage of growth on genetic parameters of feed intake in swine. Proceedings of the fifth world congress on genetics applied to livestock production, Guelph, vol. 19, pp. 185–188.Google Scholar
Webb, A. J. and King, J. W. B. 1983. Selection for improved food conversion ratio on ad libitum group feeding in pigs. Animal Production 37: 375–385.Google Scholar