Dataset Information

Factors associated with the growing-finishing performances of swine herds: an exploratory study on serological and herd level indicators.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Growing and finishing performances of pigs strongly influence farm efficiency and profitability. The performances of the pigs rely on the herd health status and also on several non-infectious factors. Many recommendations for the improvement of the technical performances of a herd are based on the results of studies assessing the effect of one or a limited number of infections or environmental factors. Few studies investigated jointly the influence of both type of factors on swine herd performances. This work aimed at identifying infectious and non-infectious factors associated with the growing and finishing performances of 41 French swine herds.

Results

Two groups of herds were identified using a clustering analysis: a cluster of 24 herds with the highest technical performance values (mean average daily gain?=?781.1 g/day +/-?26.3; mean feed conversion ratio?=?2.5 kg/kg +/-?0.1; mean mortality rate?=?4.1% +/-?0.9; and mean carcass slaughter weight?=?121.2 kg +/-?5.2) and a cluster of 17 herds with the lowest performance values (mean average daily gain =715.8 g/day +/-?26.5; mean feed conversion ratio?=?2.6 kg/kg +/-?0.1; mean mortality rate?=?6.8% +/-?2.0; and mean carcass slaughter weight?=?117.7 kg +/-?3.6). Multiple correspondence analysis was used to identify factors associated with the level of technical performance. Infection with the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and the porcine circovirus type 2 were infectious factors associated with the cluster having the lowest performance values. This cluster also featured farrow-to-finish type herds, a short interval between successive batches of pigs (?3 weeks) and mixing of pigs from different batches in the growing or/and finishing steps. Inconsistency between nursery and fattening building management was another factor associated with the low-performance cluster. The odds of a herd showing low growing-finishing performance was significantly increased when infected by PRRS virus in the growing-finishing steps (OR?=?8.8, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.8-41.7) and belonging to a farrow-to-finish type herd (OR?=?5.1, 95% CI?=?1.1-23.8).

Conclusions

Herd management and viral infections significantly influenced the performance levels of the swine herds included in this study.

SUBMITTER: Fablet C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5863451 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Factors associated with the growing-finishing performances of swine herds: an exploratory study on serological and herd level indicators.

Fablet C C Rose N N Grasland B B Robert N N Lewandowski E E Gosselin M M

Porcine health management 20180322

<h4>Background</h4>Growing and finishing performances of pigs strongly influence farm efficiency and profitability. The performances of the pigs rely on the herd health status and also on several non-infectious factors. Many recommendations for the improvement of the technical performances of a herd are based on the results of studies assessing the effect of one or a limited number of infections or environmental factors. Few studies investigated jointly the influence of both type of factors on s ...[more]

PMID: 29588859

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Dataset Information

Factors associated with the growing-finishing performances of swine herds: an exploratory study on serological and herd level indicators.

Background

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Factors associated with the growing-finishing performances of swine herds: an exploratory study on serological and herd level indicators.

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