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ANIMAL PRODUCTION |
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* Prairie Swine Centre, Inc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7H 5NP;
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Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Concord 68728;
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USDA-APHIS-VS. Center for National Animal Health Surveillance, Fort Collins, CO 80526;
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Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108;
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# School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU England;
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|| University of Missouri-Columbia, College of Veterinary Medicine, Columbia 65211;
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¶ Pork Industry Institute, Texas Tech University, Lubbock 79409;
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** INRA UMR SENAH, 35590 Saint-Gilles, France;
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Division of Applied Research, Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen, UR, Lelystad, The Netherlands; and
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National Pork Board, Des Moines, IA 50306
2 Corresponding author: gonyou{at}sask.usask.ca
Few issues in swine production are as complex as floor space allowances. One method for pork producers to calculate floor space allowance (A) is to convert BW into a 2-dimensional concept yielding an expression of A = k * BW0.667. Data on ADG, ADFI, and G:F were obtained from published peer-reviewed studies. Five data sets were created: A = grower-finisher pigs, fully slatted floors, and consistent group size; B = grower-finisher pigs and fully slatted floors (group size did not need to be consistent); C = grower-finisher pigs, partially slatted floors, and consistent group size; D = grower-finisher pigs, partially slatted floors (group size did not need to be consistent); and E = nursery pigs, fully slatted or woven wire floors (group size did not need to be consistent). Each data set was analyzed using a broken-line analysis and a linear regression. For the broken-line analyses, the critical k value, below which a decrease in ADG occurred, varied from 0.0317 to 0.0348. In all cases the effect of space allowance on ADG was significant (P < 0.05). Using the linear analyses based on data with k values of <0.030, the critical k values for the 4 grower-finisher data sets did not differ from those obtained using the broken-line analysis (0.0358 vs. 0.0336, respectively; P > 0.10); however, none of the linear regressions explained a significant proportion of the variation in ADG. The slopes for the nonplateau portion of the broken-line analyses based on percent values varied among data sets. For every 0.001 decrease in k (approximately 3% of the critical k value), ADG decreased by 0.56 to 1.41%, with an average value of 0.98% for the 5%-based analyses. The use of an allometric approach to express space allowance and broken-line analysis to establish space requirements seem to be useful tools for pig production. The critical k value at which crowding becomes detrimental to the growth of the pig is similar in full- and partial-slat systems and in nursery and grower-finisher stages. The critical point for crowding determined in these analyses approximated current recommendations to ensure the welfare of pigs.
Key Words: analysis • growth • model • performance • pig • space requirement
This article has been cited by other articles:
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  B. R. Street and H. W. Gonyou Effects of housing finishing pigs in two group sizes and at two floor space allocations on production, health, behavior, and physiological variables J Anim Sci, April 1, 2008; 86(4): 982 - 991. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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