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Impact of Body Weight Variability in the Swine Industry: A...
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Impact of Body Weight Variability in the Swine Industry: A Holistic Approach

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Pigs".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 17971

Special Issue Editors

Dr. David Solà-Oriol

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Animal Nutrition and Welfare Group (SNiBA), Department of Animal and Food Science, Facultat de Veterinaria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
Interests: swine nutrition; pig performance; efficiency and herd profitability mainly in gestating and lactating sows and weanling pigs but taking into account feed manufacturing; feed mill technology; feeding management and feeding strategies; herd production management; optimize profitability
Dr. Josep Gasa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Nutrition and Welfare Group (SNiBA), Department of Animal and Food Science, Facultat de Veterinaria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
Interests: pig production; nutrition and welfare; nutrition and management of gestating and lactating sows; growing finishing pigs and replacement gilts; sow’s productivity and tissue mobilization; use of farm data to help decisions making; reduce the pig’s live weight variability at the slaughterhouse

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Body weight (BW) variability is the main factor responsible for the lack of efficiency and the major cause of shadow cost in the swine industry and, thus, exerts a severe negative impact on profitability. Although management and nutritional measures applied along the swine productive cycle may contribute to reduce BW variability of pigs at the slaughterhouse, a holistic and multidisciplinary approach is required to understand all the critical steps through which BW variability affects efficiency. Therefore, basic and applied research should be carried out to understand the entire production system, making it more efficient, sustainable, and economically competitive. Moreover, the integration of different factors affecting BW variability and, thus, interacting with swine industry efficiency (from crop production to meat processing and pork products preparation) is strongly required. This is the main reason why we decided to launch this Special Issue, whose key concern is, therefore, to understand how we deal with BW variability.

Original manuscripts and reviews on the above-mentioned aspects directly related to BW variability affecting the swine industry are invited. Topics of special interest and sections to be covered in the present Special Issue are: 1) appropriate mathematical and statistical methods to study BW variability in the swine industry, 2) impact of genetic improvement and prolificity, 3) impact of sow reproduction physiology and metabolism on BW variability at birth, 4) impact of the facilities and equipment and role played by smart farming, 5) contribution of management and welfare, 6) impact of health and infectious diseases on BW variability, 7) impact of crop production, raw materials, and feed processing, 8) role of nutrition and feeding strategies, 9) impact of BW variability on carcass processing and meat quality after slaughter, and finally, 10) BW variability effects on farm occupation, logistics, and production costs.

Guest Editors: Dr. David Solà-Oriol and Dr. Josep Gasa

Dr. David Solà-Oriol
Dr. Josep Gasa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • body weight variability
  • efficiency
  • feed processing
  • feed ingredients
  • health status
  • infectious diseases
  • management
  • meat quality
  • nutrition and feeding
  • sustainability
  • swine production costs
  • welfare

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1234 KiB  
Article
A Holistic Approach to Evaluating Linear and Non-Linear Mixed Models to Predict Phosphorus Retention in Growing and Finishing Pigs
by Christopher D. Powell, Jennifer L. Ellis, Raquel S. Dias, Secundino López and James France
Animals 2022, 12(13), 1611; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12131611 - 22 Jun 2022
Viewed by 1181
Abstract
The ability of four non-linear mixed models and one linear mixed model to describe phosphorus (P) retention as a function of dietary P intake, expressed on an available P (avP) basis, was assessed in growing and finishing pigs. Of the four non-linear models, [...] Read more.
The ability of four non-linear mixed models and one linear mixed model to describe phosphorus (P) retention as a function of dietary P intake, expressed on an available P (avP) basis, was assessed in growing and finishing pigs. Of the four non-linear models, the monomolecular and Michaelis-Menten describe diminishing returns behaviour, while the Richards and Morgan describe sigmoidal behaviour with the ability to also describe diminishing returns. Using a meta-analysis approach, models were fitted to avP intake vs. P retention data from P balance studies. Pig bodyweights (BW) ranged from 43.5 to 133 kg, P intake ranged from 0.055 to 0.468 g kg−1 BW0.75 d−1 for avP, and 0.151 to 0.806 g kg−1 BW0.75 d−1 for total P, with P retention ranging from 0.026 to 0.329 g kg−1 BW0.75 d−1. Models were evaluated using statistical measures of goodness-of-fit and inspection of residuals. The monomolecular and Michaelis-Menten best described the relationship between P retention and P intake. Endogenous P losses and P requirement for maintenance were found to be higher in finishing pigs compared to growing pigs as BW increased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Body Weight Variability in the Swine Industry: A Holistic Approach)
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10 pages, 895 KiB  
Article
Limiting Dietary Lysine Increases Body Weight Variability by Restricting Growth Potential of the Lightest Growing Pigs
by Pau Aymerich, Carme Soldevila, Jordi Bonet, Josep Gasa, Jaume Coma and David Solà-Oriol
Animals 2022, 12(4), 528; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040528 - 21 Feb 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1635
Abstract
The goal of this experiment was to determine the implications of dietary standardized ileal digestible lysine (SID Lys:NE) on body weight variability of growing pigs grouped in three initial body weight categories (BWCAT). Animals (N = 1170) were individually weighed and classified [...] Read more.
The goal of this experiment was to determine the implications of dietary standardized ileal digestible lysine (SID Lys:NE) on body weight variability of growing pigs grouped in three initial body weight categories (BWCAT). Animals (N = 1170) were individually weighed and classified in 3 BWCAT (Lp: 32.1 ± 2.8 kg, Mp: 27.5 ± 2.3 kg, and Sp: 23.4 ± 2.9 kg). Afterward, pens were randomly allocated to five dietary SID Lys:NE treatments (3.25 to 4.88 g/Mcal) that were fed over 47 days. Pen coefficient of variation of Sp at day 47 was linearly increased when reducing SID Lys:NE (p < 0.01), from 9.8% to 15.4% between the two extreme dietary levels. The linear effect was different in Sp compared to Lp (p < 0.05) as no effect of SID Lys:NE was reported in the latter BWCAT (p = 0.992). Further analysis showed that this effect was explained by a growth restriction that was more severe the lightest the pigs were at the start of the trial. To summarize, swine body weight variability can be negatively affected when SID Lys requirements are not fulfilled. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Body Weight Variability in the Swine Industry: A Holistic Approach)
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11 pages, 679 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Variance Components and Genomic Prediction for Individual Birth Weight Using Three Different Genome-Wide SNP Platforms in Yorkshire Pigs
by Jungjae Lee, Sang-Min Lee, Byeonghwi Lim, Jun Park, Kwang-Lim Song, Jung-Hwan Jeon, Chong-Sam Na and Jun-Mo Kim
Animals 2020, 10(12), 2219; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122219 - 26 Nov 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2574
Abstract
This study estimates the individual birth weight (IBW) trait heritability and investigates the genomic prediction efficiency using three types of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping panels in Korean Yorkshire pigs. We use 38,864 IBW phenotypic records to identify a suitable model for [...] Read more.
This study estimates the individual birth weight (IBW) trait heritability and investigates the genomic prediction efficiency using three types of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping panels in Korean Yorkshire pigs. We use 38,864 IBW phenotypic records to identify a suitable model for statistical genetics, where 698 genotypes match our phenotypic records. During our genomic analysis, the deregressed estimated breeding values (DEBVs) and their reliabilities are used as derived response variables from the estimated breeding values (EBVs). Bayesian methods identify the informative regions and perform the genomic prediction using the IBW trait, in which two common significant window regions (SSC8 27 Mb and SSC15 29 Mb) are identified using the three genotyping platforms. Higher prediction ability is observed using the DEBV-including parent average as a response variable, regardless of the SNP genotyping panels and the Bayesian methods, relative to the DEBV-excluding parent average. Hence, we suggest that fine-mapping studies targeting the identified informative regions in this study are necessary to find the causal mutations to improve the IBW trait’s prediction ability. Furthermore, studying the IBW trait using a genomic prediction model with a larger genomic dataset may improve the genomic prediction accuracy in Korean Yorkshire pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Body Weight Variability in the Swine Industry: A Holistic Approach)
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10 pages, 1139 KiB  
Article
Administration of Glucose at Litter Equalization as a Strategy to Increase Energy in Intrauterine Growth Restricted Piglets
by Joanna Klaaborg and Charlotte Amdi
Animals 2020, 10(7), 1221; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10071221 - 17 Jul 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2227
Abstract
Hyper-prolific sows give birth to large litters and up to 25% of piglets born have been subjected to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The aim of this study was to test whether an oral administration of glucose impacts the survival rate and body weight [...] Read more.
Hyper-prolific sows give birth to large litters and up to 25% of piglets born have been subjected to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The aim of this study was to test whether an oral administration of glucose impacts the survival rate and body weight gain of IUGR piglets at weaning. Different methods (injection versus oral administration of glucose 6 mL or 12 mL, respectively) were tested on IUGR piglets at litter equalization (i.e., when piglets are handled the first time at 5–20 h after birth). Injecting glucose generated the highest whole-blood glucose level + 3 h after treatment, however, after this no differences were observed. Of the 237 IUGR piglets studied, 98 piglets died or were removed from the nurse sow (41%). Rectal temperature at litter equalization (0 h) was related to the survival of the piglets with an average temperature of 37.1 ± 0.1 °C in surviving piglets and 36.6 ± 0.1 °C in piglets that died. In conclusion, providing these extra management actions at litter equalization is too late to help piglets that have a low rectal temperature and are low on energy. More research investigating different management methods to deal with IUGR piglets are needed as many of these underdeveloped piglets will not survive. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Body Weight Variability in the Swine Industry: A Holistic Approach)
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14 pages, 821 KiB  
Article
Predicting Productive Performance in Grow-Finisher Pigs Using Birth and Weaning Body Weight
by Jordi Camp Montoro, Edgar Garcia Manzanilla, David Solà-Oriol, Ramon Muns, Josep Gasa, Oliver Clear and Julia Adriana Calderón Díaz
Animals 2020, 10(6), 1017; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061017 - 12 Jun 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4307
Abstract
This study aimed to (1) investigate the effect of birth and weaning body weight (BW) on performance indicators of grow-finisher pigs and (2) estimate birth and weaning BW cut-off values in order to identify slow growing pigs (SGP). Pigs (n = 144) were [...] Read more.
This study aimed to (1) investigate the effect of birth and weaning body weight (BW) on performance indicators of grow-finisher pigs and (2) estimate birth and weaning BW cut-off values in order to identify slow growing pigs (SGP). Pigs (n = 144) were classified as SMALL (0.9 ± 0.13 kg) or BIG (1.4 ± 0.20 kg) at birth and re-classified as SMALL (5.4 ± 1.6 kg) or BIG (6.3 ± 1.91 kg) at weaning. Individual BW was recorded bi-weekly, and feed intake was recorded on a daily basis. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and days to target slaughter weight (TSW) were calculated. SMALL–SMALL pigs had lower ADG (p < 0.05) requiring 167.1 days (i.e., 14.2 extra days) to TSW (p < 0.05) compared with BIG pigs at birth and/or weaning. However, FCR was similar between groups (p > 0.05). Pigs weaned at <3.7 kg BW would likely be SGP. Pigs born at ≥1.1 kg BW or weaned at ≥6.4 kg BW are more likely to reach TSW at 22 weeks of age. The results suggest that birth BW might not be the best predictor for subsequent performance, as some small-born pigs were able to catch up with their bigger counterparts. The cut-off values identified could be used to design specific management and nutritional strategies for SGP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Body Weight Variability in the Swine Industry: A Holistic Approach)
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Review

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8 pages, 404 KiB  
Review
A Meta-Analysis to Understand the Relationship between Pig Body Weight and Variation from Birth to Market
by Andres F. Tolosa, Joel M. DeRouchey, Mike D. Tokach, Robert D. Goodband, Jason C. Woodworth, Jordan T. Gebhardt, Mathew J. Ritter and Chad M. Pilcher
Animals 2021, 11(7), 2088; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072088 - 14 Jul 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4228
Abstract
This meta-analysis aims to understand the changes in pig body weight (BW) variation from birth to market and develop prediction equations for coefficient of variation (CV) and standard deviation (SD) as a function of BW. Standard deviation is the measure of dispersion of [...] Read more.
This meta-analysis aims to understand the changes in pig body weight (BW) variation from birth to market and develop prediction equations for coefficient of variation (CV) and standard deviation (SD) as a function of BW. Standard deviation is the measure of dispersion of a set of values from the mean and CV is the SD expressed as a percentage of the mean. Data collected from 16 papers and data sets yielded 117,268 individually weighed pigs with sample size ranging from 120 to 4108 pigs. Polynomial regression analysis was conducted separately for each variation measurement. The resulting prediction equations (CV (%) = 20.04 − 0.135 × (BW) + 0.00043 × (BW)2, R2 = 0.79; SD = 0.41 + 0.150 × (BW) − 0.00041 × (BW)2, R2 = 0.95) suggest that there is a quadratic decreasing relationship between the CV of a population and BW, the slope gets smaller as mean BW increases from birth to market. A quadratic increasing relationship is observed for SD, with slope being smaller as mean BW of pigs increases from birth to market. These prediction equations can be used by swine producers to estimate expected CV and SD of BW among a population of pigs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Body Weight Variability in the Swine Industry: A Holistic Approach)
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