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Effect of Flooring Material and Number of Pigs per Pen on Nursery Pig Performance¹

US Department of Agriculture², Clay Center, NE 68933

Abstract

Average daily gain (ADG) and feed per unit of gain (F/G) were monitored for 399 nursery pigs for 5 weeks beginning at 5 weeks of age. Average initial pig weight was 8.3 kilograms. The pigs were assigned to two types of nursery pen floors (partly slotted or expanded metal), with 8, 12 or 16 pigs/pen. All pens were .9 x 2.4 m, so density varied from .25 to .17 to .13 m² /pig as the number of pigs per pen (NPP) increased from 8 to 12 to 16. The expanded metal floor was 30 cm above the central alleyway and the partly slotted floor was level with the alleyway. The pens with different flooring material (FM) were located in adjacent rooms with essentially identical dimensions and environments. The FM had no effect on ADG or F/G of the pigs. ADG was affected (P<.01) by NPP, decreasing by 36 g when the NPP was increased from 8 to 12, and by 56 g when the NPP was increased from 12 to 16 pigs, on both types of floors. Increasing NPP had an increasingly detrimental influence on ADG in each successive weigh period. Efficiency of gain was not affected by NPP or FM. Sex of the pigs had no effect on ADG.

¹ The author would like to express appreciation to Wayne Peshek and Leola Lansford for assistance in data collection.

² Roman L. Hruska US Meat Animal Research Center, SEA, AR. Cooperation of Nebraska Agr. Exp. Sta. is acknowledged.