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Effect of Restricted Feeding, Crossbreeding and Season of Birth on Age at Puberty in Swine¹

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Abstract

The effect of restricted feeding, crossbreeding and season of birth on age at puberty in swine was studied in six trials involving 368 gilts.

Full-fed gilts grew more rapidly and attained puberty at an earlier age than restricted-fed gilts. Their earlier age at puberty appeared to be explainable on the basis of their greater growth rates. Poland China gilts grew more rapidly than Chester White gilts but no consistent differences in age at puberty were found for the two breeds. Reciprocal crossbred gilts of the two breeds attained puberty significantly earlier than either parent breed. The effect of season of birth on age at puberty was found to differ for the two breeds; spring-born gilts attained puberty earlier than fall-born gilts in the Chester White breed, while in the Poland China breed the fall-born gilts attained puberty earlier.

¹ Paper from the Department of Genetics No. 788 and the Department of Animal Husbandry, published with the approval of the Director of the Agriculture Experiment Station.

² Present address: Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska.

³ Present address: Department of Animal Husbandry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.

⁴ Present address: Department of Animal Husbandry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.