Growth Performance and Digestive and Metabolic Responses of Finishing Gilts Penned Individually or in Groups

Growth performance and digestive and metabolic responses of gilts penned individually or in groups of four.

Two experiments were conducted to identify factors involved in the growth retardation of pigs housed in groups. In each experiment, 60 gilts were allotted to two treatments in a randomized complete block design. Twelve gilts were penned individually with one feeder, one waterer, and a space allowance of 1.5 m2 per pen. Forty-eight gilts were allocated to 12 groups of four and penned together wi...

Manipulation of porcine carcass composition by ractopamine.

The effect of dietary ractopamine and protein level on growth performance, individual muscle weight and carcass composition of finishing pigs were evaluated in two experiments. Twelve barrows and 12 gilts (Exp. 1) and 32 barrows (Exp. 2) with an average initial weight of 64 kg were penned individually and offered ractopamine at 0 or 20 ppm in diets containing 13 or 17% CP in 2 x 2 factorial exp...

Beneficial effects of a sodium butyrate source on growth performance, intestinal bacterial communities, digestive enzymes, immune responses and disease resistance in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of dietary sodium butyrate on growth performance, intestinal microbiota, digestive enzymes, humoral immune responses and resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) juveniles (39.5±1.12 g). The fish were fed diets supplemented with 0 (SB0), 1.5 (SB1.5), 2.5 (SB2.5) and 5 (SB5.0) g/kg sodium butyrate f...

Factors Affecting Puberty in Swine 1,2

Data on 211 crossbred gilts were utilized to investigate the effects of season of birth, presence or absence of boars and number of gilts per pen on age and weight at puberty. The gilts were allotted to treatments at an average age of 140 days. Gilts born in the fall reached puberty at a younger age and a lower weight (P<.01) than those born in the spring. There also was a higher incidence of "...

Plasma Urea Can Be Used To Identify The Protein Requirements of Group-penned Finishing (130 to 220 lb) Barrows and Gilts Fed Corn-soybean Diets