Lifetime and post-weaning determinants of performance indices of pigs

Abstract

The present study was designed to determine the interrelationships between sex, weaning age, and weaning weight on subsequent growth performance. Ninety-six Large White × Landrace pigs were used in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial experiment with the respective factors being: age at weaning (14 or 28 days), weight at weaning (heavy or light), and sex (boar or gilt). Eighty pigs were offered a high quality pelleted weaner diet ad libitum while the remaining 16 pigs (2 pigs from each treatment group) were removed from the sow and fasted for 24 h before being euthanased for determination of gut histology and enzymology. The remaining pigs were weaned into individual pens and given an ad libitum diet conta..