Early weaning has minimal effects on lifetime growth performance and body composition of pigs

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Collins ◽  
B. J. Leury ◽  
F. R. Dunshea

Two hundred and forty pigs (120 entire boars and 120 gilts) were selected in three replicates of 40 boars and 40 gilts and housed in pens of 20 pigs of the same sex. Pigs were allocated to a 2 by 2 factorial experiment, with the respective factors being sex (entire male or female) and age at weaning (13 or 21 days). Pigs within each replicate were weaned on the same day, with the pigs’ farrowing date differing by ~8 days for the two weaning ages. Pigs were offered ad libitum access to feed for the entire experimental period. Eight randomly selected pigs from each pen were tagged as focus animals. These animals underwent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning six times from weaning through to slaughter to measure changes in body composition. The animals weaned at 13 days of age were lighter at weaning (4.68 ± 1.16 and 6.84 ± 1.34 kg, respectively, for the animals weaned at 13 and 21 days, P < 0.001). During the first 4 days after weaning pigs weaned at 21 days of age consumed more feed (72.1 v. 30.9 g/day, P < 0.001) and gained faster (35.0 v. –63.0 g/day, P = 0.042) than those weaned at 13 days. The pigs weaned at 13 days did, however, ‘catch up’ to be the same weight as those weaned at 21 days by 53 days of age (17.4 and 17.8 kg, respectively, P = 0.33). Daily gain from birth to 146 days of age did not differ across treatments (610, 597, 640, 657 g/day, respectively, for the gilts weaned at 13 days, gilts weaned at 21 days, boars weaned at 13 days and boars weaned at 21 days, P = 0.31). DXA analyses indicated that the animals weaned at 13 days had a greater percentage of lean tissue at 119 days of age (78.4 and 76.8%, respectively, P = 0.039) although this was not maintained through to slaughter. There were no treatment effects on the percentage of adipose tissue from 90 to 146 days of age, although the DXA estimated adipose tissue mass was greater at 146 days of age in the animals weaned at 21 days (13.8 and 15.2 kg, respectively, for the animals weaned at 13 and 21 days of age, P = 0.023, s.e.d. 0.60). These data suggest that weaning age predominately influences growth immediately after weaning, and does not have a major influence on lifetime growth performance or body composition at commercial slaughter weights.

1983 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Campbell ◽  
A. C. Dunkin

ABSTRACT1. Forty-two piglets were used to study the effects of a low, medium or high level of energy intake (1·0, 1·4 and 1·9 MJ gross energy per kg W0·75 per day respectively) from 1·8 to 10 kg live weight and a low or high level of energy intake (1·4 and 1·8 MJ digestible energy per kg W075 per day respectively) subsequent to 10 kg live weight on growth performance, body composition and the cellularity of muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue to 30 kg live weight. During both live-weight periods all pigs received the same daily intake of crude protein.2. Raising energy intake in the period prior to 10 kg live weight increased (P < 0·-05) growth rate, body fat content and fat cell size but reduced food conversion efficiency, body protein and water (P < 0·05) and muscle deoxyribonucleic acid. These effects on body composition and muscle deoxyribonucleic acid at 10 kg live weight were still evident at 30 kg live weight.3. Subsequent to 10 kg live weight, pigs previously given the lowest energy intake deposited protein and fat at a faster rate and exhibited more rapid and efficient growth (P < 0·05) than pigs previously given the high energy intake.4. At 30 kg live weight pigs given the two higher levels of energy intake before 10 kg live weight contained less deoxyribonucleic acid (P < 0·05) in subcutaneous adipose tissue and had larger (P < 0·05) fat cells than those given the lowest energy intake before 10 kg live weight.5. The effects of energy intake subsequent to 10 kg live weight on growth performance, body composition and the cellularity of muscle and adipose tissue were qualitatively the same as those for the period 1·8 to 10 kg live weight.


Author(s):  
V. Sravanthi ◽  
D. Suresh Babu ◽  
A. Anitha ◽  
P. Asha Latha

The behavioural pattern and growth performance of three groups of LWY piglets weaned at different ages was studied for six months. The first, second and third groups were weaned at 25, 40 and 56 days, respectively. The playing and huddling behavior was more in group 1 piglets. While fighting, standing, locomotion and tail biting behavior was more in group 2 piglets. Whereas the lying behavior was more in group 3 piglets. There was a significant difference (P is less than 0.01) among the three groups of piglets for all behavioral patterns. The post weaning weight (kg) gains reached 56.63 ± 0.41, 65.03 ± 0.36 and 63.09 ± 0.38 Kg for group 1, group 2 and group 3 respectively, at the end of study period. A significant difference (P is less than 0.01) was observed among the three groups for all the fortnightly interval body weights. The mean average daily gain for group 1, 2 and 3 was 0.33, 0.38 and 0.36 respectively. Significant difference (P is less than 0.01) had been observed between the groups for average daily gain. The present study had suggested that early weaning at 40days age was more advantageous than 25 days age and conventional 56days weaning age.


Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaomin Zhang ◽  
Qibin Qi ◽  
Frank Hu ◽  
Frank Sacks ◽  
Lu Qi

OBJECTIVE The fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) variant has shown the strongest association with obesity. Recent studies suggest that dietary intake may modify the genetic effects of FTO. We tested the effect of FTO variant on long-term weight loss and change in body composition in a 2-year randomized intervention trial. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS FTO SNP rs1558902 was genotyped in 742 overweight or obese adults who were randomly assigned to one of four diets differing in the percentages of energy derived from fat, protein and carbohydrate (20, 15, and 65%; 20, 25, and 55%; 40, 15, and 45%; and 40, 25, and 35%) in the Pounds Lost Trial for 2 years. Body composition and fat distribution were measured in 424 and 195 participants by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and computed tomography (CT), respectively. RESULTS We found significant modification effects for diet intervention varying in protein (low vs high), but not in fat, on 2-year changes in total fat, fat free mass (FFM), fat mass% (FM%), trunk fat%, total adipose tissue mass (TAT), visceral adipose tissue mass (VAT) and superficial adipose tissue mass (SAT) (P for interactions=0.045, 0.036, 0.033, 0.048, 0.001, 0.008 and 0.002, respectively). Carriers of the risk allele (A allele) had a greater loss of weight and regional fat in response to high protein diet, while an opposite genetic effect was observed on changes in TAT and SAT in response to low protein diet at 2 years. Significant gene by diet interventions (low vs high protein) were also observed at 6 months of intervention, when the maximum of weight-loss was achieved, for changes in FFM, TAT, VAT and SAT (P for interactions=0.007, 0.019, 0.036 and 0.041, respectively). Patterns of change in body composition and fat distribution by diet intervention were similar at 6 month and 2 year. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that a high-protein diet may be beneficial for weight loss in individuals with the risk allele of the FTO variant rs1558902.


2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Xiccato ◽  
A. Trocino ◽  
A. Sartori ◽  
P. I. Queaque

AbstractTwo weaning diets (C and S) and three weaning ages (21, 25, and 28 days) were compared in a two factorial arrangement to evaluate their effect on growth performance, body composition and caecal fermentation activity of young rabbits. One hundred litters born the same day from multiparous does were used. Sixty litters were early weaned at 21, 25 and 28 days of age (20 litters per weaning age), put in collective cages (nine kits per cage) (W21, W25, and W28 litters) and offered the control diet C (crude protein (CP) : 175 g/kg dry matter (DM); ether extract : 20 g/kg DM; starch : 157 g/kg DM; acid-detergent lignin (ADL) : 60 g/kg DM; digestible energy (DE) : 11·08 MJ/kg DM) or the starter diet S (CP : 173 g/kg DM; ether extract : 41 g/kg DM; starch : 112 g/kg DM; ADL : 51 g/kg DM; DE : 11·31 MJ/kg DM). At 32 days of age, 180 early weaned rabbits (three rabbits from each of the 60 litters above) were selected : 60 animals were slaughtered; 120 animals were placed into individual cages and offered a fattening diet (CP : 166 g/kg DM; ether extract : 23 g/kg DM; starch : 177 g/kg DM; ADL : 49 g/kg DM; DE : 11·26 MJ/kg DM) from 32 to 56 days of age. At 56 days of age, another 60 representative rabbits were slaughtered. The administration of diet S to the early weaned rabbits increased litter weight at 32 days (6160 v. 6027 g;P<005) and gain to food ratio from weaning to 32 days (752 v 666 g/kg;P<0001) compared with diet C. Moreover, empty bodies (EB) of S rabbits were fatter (fat : 45 v. 41 g/kg; P = 001) and had greater energy content (5·92 v 5·71 MJ/kg;P<001). At 56 days of age, no residual effect of the diet was recorded. Weaning age affected growth performance, body composition and caecal fermentation at 32 days of age : EB weight (P<005) and EB protein concentration increased (from 164 to 168 g/kg,P<0·01) while caecal volatile fatty acid concentration decreased (from 71·7 to 53·8 mmol/l;P<0·01) when weaning age was increased from 21 to 28 days. At 56 days of age, no effect (P > 0·05) of weaning age was recorded on growth performance or caecal fermentation traits, but EB protein remained lower in the earliest weaned rabbits (P<0·05). In conclusion, feeding a high-fat low-starch diet to early weaned rabbits stimulated growth and body fat and energy retention of kits at 32 days of age with no effect on caecal fermentation. The early weaning successfully performed at 21 days of age strongly stimulated caecal fermentation but reduced body protein reserves.


2019 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-106
Author(s):  
J. Park ◽  
C.P. Campbell ◽  
E.J. Squires ◽  
C.F.M. de Lange ◽  
I.B. Mandell

Entire male (EM) pigs (152; ∼30 kg body weight) were used to examine immunocastration using Improvest and feeding ractopamine on growth performance, carcass and meat quality, and fatty acid composition. Timing for administering second dose of Improvest compared dosing at 4 and 8 wk pre-slaughter. A factorial arrangement evaluated two genotypes [Large Whites and Duroc crossbreds (Durocs)] by five management regimens (EM fed control diet, EM fed ractopamine, second dose Improvest 4 wk pre-slaughter, second dose Improvest 8 wk pre-slaughter, second dose Improvest 4 wk pre-slaughter plus ractopamine). Average daily gain and gain to feed (G:F) were generally greater (P ≤ 0.01) in Durocs. Immunocastration increased (P < 0.01) dry matter intake (DMI); feeding ractopamine decreased (P < 0.02) DMI and increased (P < 0.03) G:F. Immunocastration decreased (P < 0.04) carcass and lean yields; feeding ractopamine increased (P < 0.04) carcass weights, lean yield, muscling, and longissimus shear force while decreasing (P < 0.01) backfats. Immunocastration did not affect loin pH, color, drip loss, and shear force. Timing for second Improvest dose did not affect most growth performance, carcass, and meat quality traits except for greater (P < 0.02) backfats when administering dose 8 wk pre-slaughter. Effects of immunocastration and (or) feeding ractopamine were relatively consistent in both genotypes evaluated.


2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Moore ◽  
F. R. Dunshea ◽  
B. P. Mullan ◽  
D. P. Hennessy ◽  
D. N. D'Souza

Sixty entire male pigs (Large White × Landrace × Duroc crossbred) were individually reared from 45 to 114 kg liveweight in a 2 by 3 factorial experiment to determine the interactive effects of sex (entire male pigs v. male pigs immunologically castrated using Improvac with vaccinations administered at 13 weeks of age and 5 weeks before slaughter) and a ractopamine feeding program (constantly fed 0 or 5 ppm ractopamine for 26 days before slaughter v. a step-up program where 5 ppm of ractopamine was fed for 14 days followed by 10 ppm ractopamine for the final 12 days before slaughter) on growth performance, carcass composition and pork quality. Following the second vaccination, immunocastrated pigs ate more (P < 0.001) and grew faster (P < 0.05) than entire male pigs without affecting feed conversion efficiency. Dietary ractopamine supplementation for the last 26 days before slaughter improved feed conversion ratio (P = 0.024) and daily gain (P = 0.046). Dietary ractopamine supplementation also increased carcass total tissue (P = 0.023) and total lean (P = 0.027) content without affecting the objective meat quality (P > 0.05) in both entire and immunocastrated male pigs. The effects of dietary ractopamine and immunocastration were additive, such that pigs that were immunocastrated and received ractopamine grew 18% faster than control entire males. However, a step-up program of ractopamine supplementation did not provide further improvements in growth performance and carcass composition when compared with constant 5 ppm ractopamine supplementation. These findings indicate that ractopamine supplementation improved growth performance in entire and immunocastrated male pigs, thereby offering a means of improving growth performance of entire males without detrimental effects on pork quality.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Wu ◽  
Jinsheng Guo ◽  
Ting Liu ◽  
Hao Chen ◽  
Yan Bai ◽  
...  

Abstract Gut health is critically important for growing neonatal calves, and nutritional technologies are needed to prevent disease and stress challenges. Previous work feeding monensin (MON) in combination with an oregano, prebiotic, and cobalt-lactate (EOC) blend had demonstrated improved calf gut health and growth performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth performance of calves fed MON and EOC alone or in combination. Eighty (80) newborn Holstein (37) female and (43) male calves were randomly assigned to one of four treatments arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial (MON and EOC). Treatments were: 1) Control: without MON or EOC added to the calf starter (CS); 2) MON: 50.8 mg/kg CS (Elanco, Greenfield, IN); 3) EOC: 44.1 mg/kg CS (Rum-A-Fresh, Ralco Inc. Marshall, MN); 4) MON + EOC: MON and EOC added to CS. Calves were fed colostrum followed by whole milk through weaning at 42 d, while CS was fed ad libitum through the 70-d experimental period. The MON by EOC interaction was found to be nonsignificant (P &gt; 0.41) for growth performance. Calves fed without or with MON demonstrated similar (P &gt; 0.70) body weight (BW; 68.7 and 68.9 kg without and with MON, respectively), while calves fed EOC demonstrated greater (P &lt; 0.01) BW (67.3 and 70.4 kg without and with EOC, respectively) compared with calves fed without EOC. Calves fed a CS containing MON were similar (P &gt; 0.47) in average daily gain (ADG; 0.88 and 0.91 kg/d) compared with calves fed without MON; however, feeding calves a CS with EOC increased (P &lt; 0.01) ADG (0.84 and 0.95 kg/d) by 13% through the 70-d experimental period compared with calves not fed EOC. Frame measurements indicated that the greater ADG was due to increased (P &lt; 0.10) frame growth for calves fed essential oils (EO) compared with calves fed without EO. A MON by EOC interaction (P &lt; 0.01) for serum propionate concentration demonstrated calves fed MON + EOC and EOC were greater (P &lt; 0.05) compared with calves fed Control, while calves fed MON were intermediate and different (P &lt; 0.05). Feeding calves a CS with EOC increased (P &lt; 0.04) immunoglobulin A, immunoglobulin G, and immunoglobulin M concentrations compared with calves fed without EOC. A MON by EOC interaction was detected (P &lt; 0.01) for total tract starch digestibility for calves fed EOC or MON + EOC demonstrating greater (P &lt; 0.05) starch digestibilities than Control-fed calves. These data demonstrate that EOC and MON fed in combination was not beneficial for enhancing the growth performance, but that calf growth performance can be improved with EOC compared with MON.


Author(s):  
Wade M Hutchens ◽  
Mike D Tokach ◽  
Jason C Woodworth ◽  
Joel M DeRouchey ◽  
Robert D Goodband ◽  
...  

Abstract A total of 1,215 pigs (L337 × 1050, PIC, Hendersonville, TN) were used to determine the effect of microencapsulated organic acids and botanicals (MOB; AviPlus; Vetagro, Inc. Chicago, IL), on growth performance from weaning to market. Pigs were weaned at approximately 21 d of age and placed in pens based on initial body weight (BW) with 27 pigs per pen in a randomized complete block design. During the 42-day nursery period, pigs were allotted to 1 of 2 treatments in an unbalanced treatment structure with 15 pens (replications) fed the control diet and 30 pens (replications) fed diets containing 0.30% MOB from d 0 to 21 and 0.10% from d 21 to 42. On d 42, pigs were transported as intact pens from the nursery to the finishing facility. During the finishing period, 3 treatments were applied which included: 1) pigs on the control diet in nursery remained on control diets; 2) 50% of pigs provided MOB in nursery were then fed 0.05% MOB throughout finishing, and 3) 50% of pigs provided MOB in nursery were then fed the control diet throughout finishing. All pens of pigs on treatments 2 and 3 were allotted based on ending nursery BW to the finishing treatment. There were 15 replications per treatment in the finishing period. From d 0 to 21, pigs fed diets with MOB had a tendency for increased (P &lt; 0.058) gain:feed (G:F) when compared to pigs fed the control diet; however, there was no evidence of difference (P &gt; 0.05) for average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), or d 21 BW. From d 21 to 42, there was no evidence of difference (P &gt; 0.05) for ADG, ADFI, or G:F. For the overall nursery period (d 0 to 42), pigs fed diets with MOB had increased (P &lt; 0.05) G:F (660 vs 670 g/kg) when compared to pigs fed the control diet, but there was no evidence of difference (P &gt; 0.05) for d 42 BW, ADG, or ADFI between treatments. From d 42 to 106, there was no evidence of difference (P &gt; 0.05) for ADG, ADFI, and G:F. For the overall finishing period (d 42 to 156) and overall experimental period (d 0 to 156), there was no evidence of difference (P &gt; 0.05) for BW, ADG, ADFI, or G:F. For mortality and removals, there was no evidence of difference (P &gt; 0.05) observed during the nursery, finishing, or overall. In summary, providing MOB during the nursery phase increased G:F in the early and overall nursery phase, but there was no effect on overall wean-to-finish performance.


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