Table I.
Herd and production characteristics of 8 commercial Ontario swine farms
| Weight (kg)
|
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farm number | Number of sows | Number of pigsa | Average weaning age (d) | Weaning delayedb | At birth | At weaning | At 7 wkc | Creep feedd | Production type | Genetic source |
| 1 | 750 | 687 | 22 | Yes | 2 | 6.5 | 14.4 | Yes (9 d) | F–F | Purchased F1 |
| 2 | 200 | 158 | 23 | No | 2 | 6 | 13.2 | Yes (14 d) | F–F | Purchased F1 |
| 3 | 200 | 271 | 24 | No | 1.5 | 5 | 11.6 | Yes (16 d) | F–F | Purchased F1 |
| 4 | 150 | 262 | 22 | No | 2 | 5.5 | 11.7 | No | F–F | Home-reared rotational cross |
| 5 | 250 | 261 | 21 | No | 1 | 6 | 15.4 | Yes (9 d) | F–F | Synthetic linese |
| 6 | 700 | 715 | 20 | No | 2 | 6 | 13.4 | No | F–f | Purchased F1 |
| 7 | 120 | 104 | 16 | No | 1.5 | 5 | 18.3 | Yes (10 d) | MOS | Synthetic linese |
| 8 | 500 | 335 | 27 | Yes | 1.5 | 5 | 13.5 | No | F–F | Home-reared rotational cross |
F–F — farrow-to-finish; F–f — farrow-to-feeder; MOS — moved to off-site nursery
a
Number of pigs weighed into the study; total 3736
b
Light-weight pigs were kept in the farrowing room on a nurse sow after the expected weaning age
c
Adjusted because of variable age distribution
d
Fed to the pigs while they are nursing
e
Breeding stock producer