Age, sex, and weight at weaning influence organ weight and gastrointestinal development of weanling pigs

Abstract

The present study was designed to determine the interrelationships between sex, weaning age, and weaning weight on aspects of physiological and gastrointestinal development in pigs. Forty-eight Large White x Landrace pigs were used in a factorial arrangement with the respective factors being: age at weaning (14 or 28 days), weight at weaning (heavy or light), sex (boar or gilt), and time after weaning (1, 7, and 14 days). At weaning, 48 pigs were removed from the sow; 16 pigs were then fasted for 24 h before euthanasia for determination of organ weights, gut histology, and enzymology, and 32 pigs were offered a high quality pelleted weaner diet ad libitum for subsequent assessment of organ w..