Effect of maternal feed intake during mid-gestation on pig performance and meat quality at slaughter

A study was conducted to evaluate, under commercial conditions, the effect of a high feed intake during mid-gestation on postnatal growth performance and meat quality of the progeny. Sows from 1 to 7 parities were divided into two treatments, control (C) and experimental (E). C sows received 3.0 kg/day (12 MJ of ME/kg) througout all gestation and E sows (E) received +50% and +75% extra feed from 45 to 85 days of gestation for first-parity and multiparous sows, respectively. This treatment (T) was applied thoughout two reproductive cycles (2 replicates; n=103 sows in replicate 1 and n=96 in replicate 2). The offspring (barrows) were divided in 5 weight groups (WG) and reared conventionally throughout nursery (n=958) and growing-finishing (n=636) periods. During the nursery period, E pigs exhibited higher growth rates (ADG) than C group (333 g/d vs 316 g/d, p