Hostname: page-component-669899f699-swprf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-27T06:39:10.209Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of sex and slaughter weight on performance, carcass quality and gross margin, assessed on three commercial pig farms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 December 2019

A. Van den Broeke Open the ORCID record for A. Van den Broeke [Opens in a new window] ,
F. Leen ,
M. Aluwé ,
J. Van Meensel  and
S. Millet
A. Van den Broeke*
Affiliation:
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
F. Leen
Affiliation:
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
M. Aluwé
Affiliation:
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
J. Van Meensel
Affiliation:
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
S. Millet
Affiliation:
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Burg. Van Gansberghelaan 92, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Economic margins on pig farms are small, and changing slaughter weights may increase farm profitability. However, one can question if the optimal slaughter weight is the same for each sex. On three farms, crossbred pigs (n = 1128) were used to determine the effect of sex and slaughter weight on performance, carcass quality and gross margin per pig place per year. On each farm, an equal number of entire males (EMs), barrows (BAs), immunocastrates (IC) and gilts (GIs) were housed separately in group pens. Pens were randomly divided into three categories of different slaughter weights: 105, 117 and 130 kg BW. In BA, the high average daily feed intake (ADFI) and the lower capacity to gain muscle led to a higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) and lower lean meat percentage in comparison to EM and IC. In all sexes, ADFI and FCR increased with an increasing slaughter weight but the effect of slaughter weight on carcass quality varied between sexes. In BA and GI, slaughter weight had no effect on carcass quality, but in EM and IC, carcass quality improved at higher slaughter weights. Gross margin per pig place per year was calculated as gross margin per pig × barn turnover per year, taking into account fixed costs per round, feed costs and output price per pig. The slaughter weight that gained the highest gross margin per year differed between sexes. Slaughtering BA and GI at 130 kg BW, compared to 105 or 117 kg BW, decreased the gross margin per pig place per year due to the lower margin per pig and barn turnover at higher weights. In IC and EM, no difference in gross margin per pig place per year could be demonstrated between slaughtering at 105, 117 or 130 kg BW. In IC, the increasing gross margin per pig with increasing slaughter weights counteracted with the lower barn turnover. In EM, gross margin per pig did not differ between slaughter weights, but the effect of barn turnover was too small to demonstrate significant differences between slaughter weights on gross margin per pig place per year. In conclusion, slaughter weight has an impact on profitability in BA and GI: they should not be slaughtered at 130 kg BW but at lower weights, but no effect could be demonstrated in EM and IC.

Keywords

economic analysisentire male pigsimmunocastrationmarket weightgrowing-finishing pigs
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 14 , Issue 7 , July 2020 , pp. 1546 - 1554
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2019

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.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Aluwé, M, Millet, S, Bekaert, KM, Tuyttens, FAM, Vanhaecke, L, De Smet, S and De Brabander, DL 2011. Influence of breed and slaughter weight on boar taint prevalence in entire male pigs. Animal 5, 1283–1289.10.1017/S1751731111000164CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Apple, JK, Maxwell, C, Galloway, DL, Hutchison, S and Hamilton, CR 2009. Interactive effects of dietary fat source and slaughter weight in growing-finishing swine: I. Growth performance and longissimus muscle fatty acid composition. Journal of Animal Science 87, 1407–1422.10.2527/jas.2008-1453CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Batorek, N, Čandek-Potokar, M, Bonneau, M and Van Milgen, J 2012. Meta-analysis of the effect of immunocastration on production performance, reproductive organs and boar taint compounds in pigs. Animal 6, 1330–1338.10.1017/S1751731112000146CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beattie, VE, Weatherup, RN, Moss, BW and Walker, N 1999. The effect of increasing carcass weight of finishing boars and gilts on joint composition and meat quality. Meat Science 52, 205–211.10.1016/S0309-1740(98)00169-7CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boland, MA, Preckel, PV and Schinckel, AP 1993. Optimal hog slaughter weights under alternative pricing systems. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 25, 148–163.10.1017/S1074070800019039CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonneau, M, Dufour, R, Chouvet, C, Roulet, C, Meadus, W and Squires, EJ 1994. The effects of immunization against luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone on performance, sexual development, and levels of boar taint-related compounds in intact male pigs. Journal of Animal Science 72, 14–20.10.2527/1994.72114xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cisneros, F, Ellis, M, McKeith, FK, McCaw, J and Fernando, RL 1996. Influence of slaughter weight on growth and carcass characteristics, commercial cutting and curing yields, and meat quality of barrows and gilts from two genotypes. Journal of Animal Science 74, 925.10.2527/1996.745925xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Commission of the European Communities 2012. Commission implementing decision of 19 July 2012 authorising methods for grading pig carcasses in Belgium (2012/416/EU). Official Journal of the European Union L194, 33–38.Google Scholar
Conte, S, Boyle, LA, O’Connell, NE, Lynch, PB and Lawlor, PG 2011. Effect of target slaughter weight on production efficiency, carcass traits and behaviour of restrictively-fed gilts and intact male finisher pigs. Livestock Science 136, 169–174.10.1016/j.livsci.2010.08.018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Correa, JA, Faucitano, L, Laforest, JP, Rivest, J, Marcoux, M and Gariépy, C 2006. Effects of slaughter weight on carcass composition and meat quality in pigs of two different growth rates. Meat Science 72, 91–99.10.1016/j.meatsci.2005.06.006CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cronin, GM, Dunshea, FR, Butler, KL, McCauley, I, Barnett, JL and Hemsworth, P 2003. The effects of immuno- and surgical-castration on the behaviour and consequently growth of group-housed, male finisher pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 81, 111–126.10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00256-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García-Macías, JA, Gispert, M, Oliver, MA, Diestre, A, Alonso, P, Muñoz-Luna, A, Siggens, K and Cuthbert-Heavens, D 1996. The effects of cross, slaughter weight and halothane genotype on leanness and meat and fat quality in pig carcasses. Animal Science 63, 487–496.10.1017/S1357729800015381CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gu, Y, Schinckel, AP, Forrest, JC, Kuei, CH and Watkins, LE 1991. Effects of ractopamine, genotype, and growth phase on finishing performance and carcass value in swine: I. Growth performance and carcass merit. Journal of Animal Science 69, 2685–93.10.2527/1991.6972685xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jaturasitha, S, Pichitpantapong, S, Leangwunta, V, Khiaosa-Ard, R, Suppadit, T and Krenzer, M 2006. Increasing the slaughter weight of boars: effects on performance and pork quality. Journal of Applied Animal Research 30, 19–24.10.1080/09712119.2006.9706817CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jolly, RW, Sather, AP, Patterson, RD, Sonntag, BH, Martin, AH and Freeden, HT 1980. Alternative market weights for swine: production economics. Journal of Animal Science 51, 804–810.10.2527/jas1980.514804xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Latorre, MA, Lázaro, R, Valencia, DG, Medel, P and Mateos, GG 2004. The effects of gender and slaughter weight on the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality characteristics of heavy pigs. Journal of Animal Science 82, 526.10.2527/2004.822526xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leen, F, Van den Broeke, A, Aluwé, M, Lauwers, L, Millet, S and Van Meensel, J 2018. Stakeholder-driven modelling the impact of animal profile and market conditions on optimal delivery weight in growing-finishing pig production. Agricultural Systems 162, 34–45.10.1016/j.agsy.2018.01.013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leen, F, Van den Broeke, A, Ampe, B, Lauwers, L, Van Meensel, J and Millet, S 2017. Evaluation of performance models for farm-specific optimization of pig production. Livestock Science 201, 99–108.10.1016/j.livsci.2017.05.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Niemi, JK 2006. A dynamic programming model for optimising feeding and slaughter decisions regarding fattening pigs. Agricultural and Food Science 15, 1–121.10.23986/afsci.5855CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliveira, EA, Bertol, TM, Coldebela, A, Santos Filho, JI, Scandolera, AJ and Warpechowski, MB 2015. Live performance, carcass quality, and economic assessment of over 100 kg slaughtered pigs. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia 67, 1743–1750.10.1590/1678-4162-7632CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Park, BC and Lee, CY 2011. Feasibility of increasing the slaughter weight of finishing pigs. Journal of Animal Science and Technology 53, 211–222.10.5187/JAST.2011.53.3.211CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patience, JF, Rossoni-Serão, MC and Gutiérrez, NA 2015. A review of feed efficiency in swine: biology and application. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology 6, 33.10.1186/s40104-015-0031-2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pauly, C, Spring, P, O’Doherty, J, Ampuero Kragten, S and Bee, G 2009. Growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of group-penned surgically castrated, immunocastrated (Improvac®) and entire male pigs and individually penned entire male pigs. Animal 3, 1057–1066.10.1017/S1751731109004418CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piao, JR, Tian, JZ, Kim, BG, Choi, YI, Kim, YY and Han, IK 2004. Effects of sex and market weight on performance, carcass characteristics and pork quality of market hogs. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 17, 1452–1458.10.5713/ajas.2004.1452CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Puls, CL, Rojo, A, Ellis, M, Boler, DD, McKeith, FK, Killefer, J, Gaines, AM, Matzat, PD and Schroeder, AL 2014. Growth performance of immunologically castrated (with Improvest) barrows (with or without ractopamine) compared to gilt, physically castrated barrow, and intact male pigs. Journal of Animal Science 92, 2289–2295.10.2527/jas.2013-6861CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
R Core team 2017. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria.Google Scholar
Van den Broeke, A, Leen, F, Aluwé, M, Ampe, B, Van Meensel, J and Millet, S 2016. The effect of GnRH vaccination on performance, carcass, and meat quality and hormonal regulation in boars, barrows, and gilts. Journal of Animal Science 94, 2811.10.2527/jas.2015-0173CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weatherup, RN, Beattie, VE, Moss, BW, Kilpatrick, DJ and Walker, N 1998. The effect of increasing slaughter weight on the production performance and meat quality of finishing pigs. Animal Science 67, 591–600.10.1017/S1357729800033038CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xue, J, Dial, GD and Pettigrew, JE 1988. Performance, carcass, and meat quality advantages of boars over barrows: a literature review Improved growth performance of intact male pigs. Swine Health and Production 5, 21–28.Google Scholar
Zamaratskaia, G, Rydhmer, L, Andersson, HK, Chen, G, Lowagie, S, Andersson, K and Lundström, K 2008. Long-term effect of vaccination against gonadotropin-releasing hormone, using ImprovacTM, on hormonal profile and behaviour of male pigs. Animal Reproduction Science 108, 37–48.10.1016/j.anireprosci.2007.07.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed