Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Increasing weaning age improves pig performance in a multisite production system.

R G Main1, S S Dritz, M D Tokach

  • 1Food Animal Health and Management Center, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506-0201, USA. rmain@murphyfarms.com

Journal of Animal Science
|May 18, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Increasing piglet weaning age, from 12 to 21.5 days, significantly improves average daily gain and reduces mortality. Later weaning enhances overall growth performance in multisite production systems.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Lysine requirements of finishing boars and gilts: A meta-analysis.

Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience·2021
Same author

Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Feces of Finisher Pigs: Isolation, Identification, and Public Health Implications of Major and Minor Serogroups†.

Journal of food protection·2021
Same author

A review of heavy weight market pigs: status of knowledge and future needs assessment.

Translational animal science·2020
Same author

Stability of four commercial phytase products under increasing thermal conditioning temperatures.

Translational animal science·2020
Same author

Effects of space allocation on finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics.

Translational animal science·2020
Same author

Determining the impact of increasing standardized ileal digestible lysine for primiparous and multiparous sows during lactation<sup></sup>.

Translational animal science·2020

Area of Science:

  • Animal Science
  • Swine Production
  • Animal Nutrition

Background:

  • Optimal weaning age is critical for piglet performance and survival.
  • Multisite production systems require specific management strategies for different age groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of varying weaning ages on piglet growth and mortality in a multisite production system.
  • To assess the efficacy of modified nursery feeding programs in conjunction with different weaning ages.

Main Methods:

  • Two trials involving 2,272 and 3,456 pigs, respectively, with weaning ages ranging from 12 to 22 days.
  • Pigs were managed in a randomized complete block design across nursery and finishing sites.
  • Trial 2 included two nursery feeding programs with varied diet formulations and ingredients like whey and spray-dried animal plasma.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Increasing weaning age linearly improved average daily gain (ADG) and decreased mortality in the initial 42 days post-weaning.
  • Finishing ADG and overall wean-to-finish ADG were significantly enhanced with later weaning ages.
  • Weight sold per pig weaned increased by 1.80 kg for each day increase in weaning age, up to 21.5 days.
  • Nursery feeding program modifications did not influence wean-to-finish growth performance.

Conclusions:

  • Increasing weaning age up to 21.5 days is an effective management strategy to boost wean-to-finish growth performance.
  • Later weaning age positively influences key performance indicators in multisite pig production.
  • Further research may explore specific nutritional strategies to complement later weaning ages.