This week, we are presenting a summary of an article published by faculty in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural resources Sciences regarding the impact of early-life indicators such as birth-weights on the life of a market pig.
Key Points
- As litter size increases with the industry’s drive to increase pig production, the number of pigs with low birthweights increase too
- Preweaning growth rate is a critical indicator of a low birthweight pig’s likelihood to reach desired market weight on time
- High birthweight is associated with faster growth at all life stages, earlier marketing, and better carcass quality