Pasture-Based Swine Management: Behaviour and Performances of Growing-Finishing Pigs
Keywords:
pig management, nutrition, forage, crop-pasture, pig performancesAbstract
A pasture-based swine management (PBSM) trial was conducted in Piemonte (N-W Italy) to study the performances and the carcass yield of 16 hybrid pigs (8 castrated males and 8 females; average initial weight: 90 kg). Animals were allowed to forage pea, clover, beet and alfalfa pastures for 170 days in a crop-pasture rotation on different paddocks. A concentrate was fed to supply 50% of estimated energy requirements. Forage dry matter intake (DMI) ranged from 0.32 kg/day (alfalfa) to 2.85 kg/day (pea), depending on the period and forage type. Pigs were weighted every 30 days and at slaughtering; average daily gain (ADG) was 0.29 kg. The stocking rate (SR) ranged from 109 kg/ha LW (clover) to 2347 kg/ha LW (pea). Data collected at slaughtering (average final weight: 141 kg) were: hot carcass weight and yield, lean and fat cuts weight, backfat thickness, pH45 and pH24. The statistical analysis (ANOVA of SPSS) did not show differences between males and females. Results showed that PBSM should be especially appealing to limited-resource farmers due to low inputs needed; pasture can be used to replace 50% of the nutritional needs, helping to save on grain costs, without affecting carcass characteristics.
References
Dransfield, E., Consumer attitudes and demands for new pork qualities. Proc. of European Workshop “Sustainable pork production: welfare, quality, nutrition nd consumer attitudes”, Copenaghen, Denmark, 2004, pp. 6-16
Grunert, K. G., Bredhal, L., Brunso, K., Consumer perception of meat quality affects behavior and implications for product development in the meat sector – a review. Meat Science, 2004, 66, 259-272
Edwards S. A., Intake of nutrients from pasture by pigs. Proc. of the Nutrition Society, 2003, 62, 257-265
Edwards, S. A., Product quality attributes associated with outdoor pig production. Livestock Prod. Sci., 2005, 94, 5-14
Gustafson, G., Stern, S., Two strategies for meeting energy demands of growing pigs on pasture. Livestock Prod. Sci., 2003, 80, 167-174
National Research Council, Nutrient requirements of swine, Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1998
SPSS Inc. SPSS base for windows. 2007, Chicago, IL, SPSS Inc.
Lee, P., Cormack, W. F., Simmins, P. H., Performance of pigs grown outdoors during conversion of land to organic status and idoors on diets without growth promoters. Pig news Inf., 1995, 16, 47-49
Andersen, N., Ciszuk, P., Ohlander, L., Pigs on grassland-animal growth rate, tillage work and effects in the following winter wheat crop. Biol. Agric. Hortic., 2001, 18, 327-343
Lebret, B., Guillard, A. S., Outdoor rearing of cull sows: effets on carcass, tissue composition and meat quality. Meat Science, 2005, 70, 247-257
Bridi, A. N., Muller, L., Ribeiro, A. R., Indoor vs. outdoor rearing of pigs, performance, carcass and meat quality. In A. Diestre & J. M. Montfort (Eds.), Proc. of the 44th International congress of meat science and technology, Barcelona, Spain. 1998, pp. 1056-1057
Gentry, J.G., McGlone, J. J., Miller, M. F., Blanton, J. R. Jr., Diverse birth and environment effects on pig growth and meat quality, Journal of Animal Science, 2002, 80, pp. 1707-1715
Gentry, J.G., McGlone, J. J., Miller, M. F., Blanton, J. R. Jr. Environmental effects on pig performnce, meat quality, and muscle characteristics. Journal of Animal Science, 2004, 82, pp. 209-217
Bee, G., Guex, G., Herzog, W., Free-range rearing of pigs during the winter: adaptations in muscle fibre characteristics and effects on adipose tissue composition and meat quality traits. Journal of Animal Science, 2004, 82, 1206-1218
Enfalt, A. C., Lundstrom, K., Lundeheim, N., Nystrom, P. E., Effects of outdoor rearing and sire breed (Duroc or Yorkshire) on carcass composition and sensory and technological meat quality. Meat Science, 1997, 45, 1-15
