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Effects of Water Flow Restriction and Environmental Factors on Performance of Nursery-Age Pigs

US Department of Agriculture¹, Clay Center, NE 68933

Abstract

A series of three feeding trials was conducted to determine if nipple waterer flow rate affects the performance of nursery-age pigs and if there are any interaction effects with environmental factors. In the first trial, 42 barrows, 10 wk of age, were fed during a period of 4 wk at 5 or 35 C and given water ad libitum with flow rates of 100, 600 and 1,100 ml/min and a control treatment of 20 C and 600 ml/min. There was a linear increase in body weight gain from .278 kg/d at 100 ml/min to .466 kg/d at 1,100 ml/min when pigs were fed at 35 C. There was a linear decrease in weight gain from .855 kg/d at 100 ml/min to .730 kg/d at 1,100 ml/min when pigs were fed at 5 C. The weight gain of control treatment pigs (.775 kg/d) equalled that of the pigs fed at 5 C and 600 ml/min flow rate (.744 kg/d). In the second trial, 120 crossbred barrows and gilts were weaned at 4.5 wk and fed in a commercial-type nursery held at 30 C for 4 wk, with water provided at rates of 100, 350, 600, 850 and 1,100 ml/min. There was no measurable effect of water flow rate on body weight gain, feed intake or feed conversion. Water use increased as flow rate increased, and time spent drinking at 100 ml/min increased nearly fourfold above the average time spent drinking by the other treatments. In the third trial, 72 crossbred pigs weaned at 4.5 wk were assigned to six treatments to evaluate the effects of heating water to 30 C at an environmental temperature of 5 C and the effects of solid or wire mesh pen walls at 5 and 20 C using unheated water at a constant water flow rate of 600 ml/min. Open or solid pen walls had no effects on pig performance; however, at 5 C, heated drinking water increased body weight gain above unheated water and 5 C caused an increase in feed intake and feed required per unit gain above that at 20 C.

¹ Agricultural Research Service, Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Reseach Center.

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