Feeding Patterns Of Growing Pigs At Warm Constant And Cyclic Temperatures

Abstract

Feeding behavior of ad libitum-fed^ 39-kg, crossbred gilts was investigated under mean ambient temperatures of 30.8 C with 0, 7, and 16.6 C cycles. Average meal size, 160 to 170 g/pig; meal duration, 13.3 to 14.3 min; and ingestion rate, 12.2 g/min-pig did not appear to be influenced by the temperature conditions. However, meal frequency, 9 to 11 per day, tended to be reduced by elevated hours of exposure to high temperatures. Consequently daily feed intake of the pigs was signiflcantly less in the 16.6 C cycle treatment than in the 0 or 7 C cycle treatments (P<0.01). Feed consumed during the lighting period (0600 h to 2100 h) accounted for 75%, 61%, and 37% of daily feed intake for the 0, 7, and 16.6 C cycle treatments, respectively. Pigs under the 0 C cycle had most feeding activities in the afternoon and evening (55% of daily feed intake). In contrast, pigs under the 16.6 C cycle had most feeding events at night and early morning (91 % of daily feed intake).