INFLUENCE OF BIRTH MASS ON LOSSES AND WEIGHT GAIN OF LARGE YORKSHIRE PIGLETS DURING PREWEANING PERIOD
Anamaria Ekert Kabalin1, Tomislav Balenović1, Sven Menčik1, Velimir Sušić1, Željko Pavičić2, Igor Štoković1, Mario Ostović2
1Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb,
Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia,
2Department of Animal Hygiene, Environment and Ethology,
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
akabalin@vef.hr
Taking into account the health and economic aspect, the most significant losses in the pig farming are those during preweaning period. In this research we observed the influence of birth mass on losses and weight gain of large Yorkshire piglets. In order to decrease the influence of external factors as much as possible, manner of holding and feeding, sows genetic influence, milk yield and productivity and sex of offspring, from each litter where a piglet was studied (one or more) with the weight below 1000 g (experimental group, n = 24), as a control offspring of the same sex with body mass above 1000 g was taken (control group, n = 24). A statistically significant difference determined in the body mass (P < 0.01) between the experimental and control group, remained at the same level until the wean¬ing. The correlation between the birth mass and body mass on 21st day was significant, positive and strong (r = 0.60). The obtained regression equation for the body mass calculation on the 21st day (Y) based on the mass at birth (X) reads as follows: Y = 2609.5156 2.426*X. During this period losses in the experimental group were significantly higher (29.17%) in comparison with the losses in the control group (8.33%).
Keywords: suckling piglets; birth mass; growth; losses
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