Hematology parameters as potential indicators of feed efficiency in pigs

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Veterinary Medicine
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Accurate measurement of feed efficiency in swine is crucial for breeding programs.
• Individual feed intake monitoring is expensive, necessitating cost-effective indirect measures.
• Hematology offers a potential avenue for inexpensive, indirect assessment of swine feed efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between hematology parameters and feed efficiency in pigs.
• To determine if blood cell counts and their changes over time correlate with average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain-to-feed (G:F).

Main Methods:

• Collected whole blood samples from 178 pigs at the beginning (day 0) and end (day 42) of a 6-week study.
• Analyzed various blood cell parameters including white blood cell (WBC) counts, red blood cell (RBC) counts, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet counts.
• Used ANOVA models to assess the relationship between hematology parameters and feed efficiency metrics (ADG, ADFI, G:F).

Main Results:

• Initial platelet and lymphocyte counts were associated with ADFI and G:F.
• At study's end, neutrophil, RBC counts, hemoglobin, and hematocrit correlated with ADFI.
• Changes in RBC parameters (RBC, hemoglobin, MCV, MCH, MCHC) over the study were linked to ADG and ADFI.
• The change in hematocrit was the sole parameter associated with all three feed efficiency measures (ADG, ADFI, G:F).

Conclusions:

• Hematology parameters, especially changes in RBC measurements, show potential as indirect indicators of feed efficiency in swine.
• Hematocrit changes over time may be a particularly valuable metric for supplementing traditional feed efficiency assessments.
• These findings could lead to more cost-effective identification of pigs with superior feed efficiency phenotypes.