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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 November 2017
There is now sufficient evidence to suggest that the ARC (1981) factorial estimates of the energy requirements of the sow during pregnancy are too high, due, possibly, to an over-estimation of the maintenance energy component (MEm). Revised values, based on an MEm value of 439 KJ ME/kg0.75, have therefore been calculated and the present experiment was designed to test these new estimates. An additional feature of the experiment is to determine whether variations in feed intake during lactation have an effect on the utilization of energy in subsequent pregnancies for maternal body weight gain. Since the experiment will be conducted over 4 parities it will be interesting to determine whether variations in feed intake during both pregnancy and lactation influence short- and long-term sow performance.