Before industry is likely to adopt non-confinement farrowing pens for sows and litters, it is important that key performance variables are evaluated and compared with those of farrowing crates. In addition to piglet mortality and number of piglets weaned per sow, it is relevant to measure voluntary feed intake (VFI) by sows and growth of piglets to weaning. Cronin et al. (2000) reported higher VFI in week 3 of lactation for sows in Werribee farrowing pens compared to conventional crates. A benefit ofhigher sow feed intake during lactation may be heavier piglet weaning weights in gilt litters (Eissen et al., 2003) and reduced loss of body protein in thin sows (de Lange et al., 1980). Addressing these factors may also reduce the risk that sows are culled due to failure to re-breed after weaning. This experiment tested the hypothesis that lactating sows had higher VFI in UMB farrowing pens than crates between d 7 and 21 of lactation.
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