Effect of energy supply on growth of pigs

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present the effects of energy supply on growth of pigs. The topics developed in the first part relate to the effects of growth potential (i.e., body weight, genotype, sex) on daily gains of chemical components and tissues. The objective of the second part is to take stock of the literature on the effects of energy intake on growth. With regard to available results, the relationships between deposition rates of chemical components or tissues and energy intake differ between types of pigs. Indeed, protein and lean gain increased with energy intake according to a linear-plateau relationship, its parameters being affected by the genotype, the sex and the stage of growth. Besides, lipid and fat gain increased linearly with energy intake, and the slope of the relationship is affected neither by the genotype nor by the sex within a given body weight range. Consequently, the body weight gain change associated with energy intake is rather different between the types of pigs (from 19 to 41 g per extra MJ of digestible energy intake).