Animal Science Abstract
Modelling the effect of high, constant temperature on food intake in young growing pigs
Collin1, J. van Milgen1,A and J. Le Dividich1
ACorresponding author
1Unité Mixte de Recherches sur le Veau et le Porc, Institut de la Recherche Agronomique, 35590 Saint-Gilles, FranceAbstract
Performance in pigs is greatly reduced during periods of heat stress through a reduction in voluntary food intake (VFI). However, little information is available as to what extent growth in piglets is affected by high temperature. The objective of this study was therefore to quantify the change in VFI as affected by environmental temperature. Piglets, initially 15·5 (s.e. 1·9) kg body weight (BW), were individually housed and exposed over a period of 17 days to either 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, or 35ºC. Animals had ad libitum access to a starter diet and water. VFI was measured daily whereas BW was determined twice weekly. Over the 17 days, daily VFI and BW gain were proportionately 0·48 and 0·51 lower at 35ºC than at 19ºC. Due to the reduced VFI at high temperatures, the average BW during the experiment was greater at low temperatures than at high temperatures. Consequently, part of the difference in VFI is directly due to temperature and part may be explained by cascading, indirect effects (i.e. the increased BW). To account for this, VFI was expressed as a power function of BW (VFI = aBWb). It was assumed that environmental temperature affected the scalar (a) through a quadratic or a 'plateau-linear decline' function of temperature. The VFI appeared relatively constant between 19 and 25ºC (0·096 (kg/day)/(kg BW0·83)) and decreased thereafter. Between 25 and 35ºC, VFI decreased on average by proportionately 0·28 in a 20-kg pig.
Keywords: food intake, mathematical modelling, pigs, temperature
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