THE INFLUENCE OF FEEDERS TYPE AND THE METHOD OF GROUP ALLOCATION IN PIGLETS GROWTH

Valencia Urdín, JosebaPascual Guzmán, AntónArchanco Urroz, Xabier

Armendáriz López, Luismiguel

INDEX INTRODUCTION OBJETIVES MATERIAL AND METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION

INTRODUCTION After weaning piglets growth is stopped

1- Change: suckled ate fodder

2- The aggressiveness between the piglets

Reduced spaces and mixed piglets from different litters, higher aggressiveness

The voluntary food intake is stimulated when piglets eat with water.

Littermate Non-littermate

“Wet and dry” single-space feeders Multi-space feeders “Dry” single-space feeders

In single-space feeders decrease the fightings

Most secure and less fights, we think that more food are intake

Disadvantages of the single-space feeders is that more food is wasted.

Piglets are weighted and the food intake is measured weekly.

OBJETIVES Observing the differences in piglets growth

among:

The differents types of feedders

The differents types of group allocation

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Piglets with 30 days and 9 kg were housed in groups of nine.

Six kinds of groups were studied:  “Wet and dry” single-space feeders with littermate

piglets. “Wet and dry” single-space feeders with mixed litter

piglets. “Dry” single-space feeders with littermate piglets. “Dry” single-space feeders with mixed litter piglets. Multi-space feeders with littermate piglets. Multi-space feeders with mixed litter piglets.

Four weeks:

The two first weeks different diet for the two following weeks

RESULTS1) In the first week “Wet and dry” single-space

feeders less growth than “dry” single-space feeders and multi-space feeders.

2) Multi-space feeders more food intake than a single-space feeder.

3) But the differences in intakes between pens were high too because of other causes.

DISCUSSION “wet and dry” single-space feeders eat more

doesn’t increase piglets growth

Single-space feeders and multi-space feeders have similar growth.

There are two possibilities that explain:1- Complicated interaction between piglets and feeders. 2- Older pigs are more receptive to different forms of feeding

than piglets.

Few hours, vigorous fights Non-littermate piglets

After 48 h., occasional fights.

Piglets than littermates haven’t fights Non-littermate piglets, growth faster in the first 14 days

than littermate piglets

No differences between “wet and dry” and “dry” single spaces feeders.

Non-littermate piglets fight more and intake more food than littermate piglets.