Effect floor types on performance and health of F1 (Yorkshire x Mong cai) fattening pigs and of Mong cai gilts raised by smallholders
 

 Pham Khanh Tu, Hoang Nghia Duyet, Nguyen Thi Vinh,
Brian Ogle* and Antol Beynen**
 

Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry
* Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,
Uppsala, Sweden
** Utrecht University, Netherlands

 

Abstract

Three type of floor housing were constructed using  locally available materials with the aim of studying  perceived welfare effects on performance of crossbred (Yorkshire x Mong Cai) fattening pigs and Mong Cai gilts.

The raised wooden floor provided better welfare conditions, and supported higher growth rates, than the cement floor and the traditional village floors.  Gilts kept on raised wooden floor had fewer leg problems and a decreased veterinary cost. There was no interaction between breed and floor type for the traits studied in this experiment.

It is concluded that the  raised wooden floor type is appropriate for small-scale pig production systems in Central Vietnam, especially in areas where flooding often occurs.

Key Words : Floor type , Mong Cai , F1(Yorkshire x Mong cai), productive traits

 

Introduction

Many factors influence growth and other performance traits of pigs. Breed, sex and nutrition influence the growth rate and carcass quality (Christian 1980; Langlois and  Minviell 1989). Climatic variations and season have been shown to have effects on productivity of sows and growth of piglets (Truong Huu Dung et al 2000).  According to the report of Le Thanh Hai and Che Quang Tuyen (19--) the type of housing can affect the  litter size and weaning weight of piglets.

Thuy Luong village is located in a lowland area where flood often occurs in the rainy season, causing difficulties for farmers in raising their animals, especially the pigs. This village is one of the poorest in Thua Thien Hue Province. Pigs are very important to the villagers  as the principal source of  income, for raising funds for particular purposes, and as source of  protein for the family. The pig housing system used by the farmers has many deficiencies, including lack of light and ventilation and wet and humid environment.  The pigs often have  problems  of welfare and health.

On the basis of these observations it was decided to study the influence of the type of floor on the performance and health of F1 (Yorkshire x Mong Cai) fattening pigs and Mong Cai gilts raised in farm households in Thuy Luong village.

Materials and methods

Twelve F1 crossbred pigs with initial body weight of 12 kg and 12 Mong Cai purebreed gilts were allocated to three treatments (types of floor), taking account of body weight. The floor types were:

• Raised wooden floor
• Cement floor
• Traditional  floor used by farmers (ground level on bare soil)

The sheds were made from locally available materials, including bamboo poles and branches from Eucalyptus trees for the walls and "Imperata"  grass for the thatch roof.  The raised wooden floor (WF) and the cement floor (CF) were 50 cm above ground level, compared with the village traditional floor at ground level. The size of the pens was  2.5x1.5m for 2 fattening pigs or for 1 gilt.

The same diet with 14% crude protein in DM (Tables 1 and 2) was fed to the fattening pigs and the gilts. The daily amounts that were fed were 1.5 increasing to 2.0 kg DM/pig /day for the  first  three months of age then increasing to 2.5 and to 3.5 kg DM/pig/day from four to six months of age.

 

Procedure

The pigs were purchased from the local State breeding farm, after weaning (10 to 12 kg live weight).  After 1 week for adaptation and vaccination, they were  allocated to two groups of farmers (12 farmers per group), one having raised wooden floors in the pig pen, and the other having a raised cement floor. Twelve F1 and six Mong Cai piglets raised in the traditional housing of the villagers served as control animals.

Each month, the temperature and humidity in the pens were  recorded every two hours over a 24h period. The pigs were weighed every month and  the back fat thickness measured by ultrasonic machine.  Feed intake was recorded daily to calculate feed conversion. Observations were made on the gilts in relation to incidence of  leg problems and mastitis.

Statistical analysis

Performance traits and health observations were subjected to analysis of variance using the GLM option of the SPSS software (version 10.0). The floor system and breed were used as independent variables. The statistical analysis assumed the following model:           

Y_ijk = μ + Gi + Hj + Gi_*Hj + E_ijk

 Where Y_ijk = the K^th observation in the i^th breed and j^th floor type, μ = overall mean, Gi random effect of the i_th animal and H_j = fixed effect of the jth floor type,  G_i*H_j is random effect of the interaction between the i_th animal and the jth floor type,  E_ijk  = random residual error.

 

Results and Discussion

 

The relative humidity (Figure 1) and the ambient temperature (Figure 2) were lowest in the pens with raised wooden floors. Highest values were in the traditional village pen. The pen with the wooden floor provided better ventilation that caused the pen to be cooler at noon.

 

Figure 1:  Effect of floor type on the change of temperature during 24 period  

 

Figure 2: Variation in relative humidity during a 24h period of measurement

 

 

 

 

Changes in live weight of the F1 crossbred pigs during the trial showed obvious benefits for the pens with raised wooden floors, followed by those with the raised cement floor with the traditional village pen giving the poorest results (Figure 3). As expected the crossbred pigs grew faster, were leaner and had better feed conversion than the purebred Mong Cai (Table 3).

            Figure 3: The effect of floor type on the live weights of the F1 fattening pigs

 

Table 3: Mean values for effects of floor type and breed on performance traits of pigs
Floor type	Wooden floor		Cement floor		Village pen	SEM			Prob.
LW gain, g/d	431		408		383	6.02			0.001
Back fat, mm	28.1		28.2		28.1	0.050			0.41
DM intake, kg/d	1.61		1.59		1.49	0.0064			0.001
DM conversion	4.00		4.04		4.26	0.021			0.001
Effect of breed		Y*MC		MC			SEM	Prob.
LW gain, g/d		468		346			4.9	0.001
Back fat, mm		27.1		29.1			0.041	0.001
DM intake, kg/d		1.80		1.32			0.0052	0.001
DM conversion		3.86		4.32			0.017	0.001

 

Table 4.   Effect of floor type on health of Mong Cai gilts
	Wooden floor	Cement floor	Village pen
Leg problems	+	+++	+++
Mastitis	-	++	+++
Veterinary cost, VND/pig#	15,000	27,500	35,000
# Veterinary cost is calculated from deworming, vaccination and treatment for sick animals

 

Conclusions

 

• A raised wooden floor in village pig pens, supported faster growth rates in crossbred F1 fattening pigs, and reduced incidence of leg problems and mastitis in Mong Cai gilts, compared with raised cement floors or a traditional soil floor.

• Temperate and relative humidity were lower in the pens with wooden floors.

• The raised wooden floor appears to be very appropriate in areas subject to periodic flooding.

 

 

Acknowledgements

This research was partially financed by the bilateral SAREC project 2000-2002.

 

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