Table 5.
Preference on feeder position of weaned pigs during non-test periods when feeding a common non-test SBM-based diet in both feeders,a,b,c experiment 1
| Feeder position | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preference, % | Left | Right | SEM | P-value |
| Period 1 | ||||
| Day 5 | 62.4 | 37.6 | 5.5 | < 0.001 |
| Day 6 | 54.8 | 45.2 | 7.1 | 0.179 |
| Day 7 | 64.4 | 35.6 | 8.5 | 0.002 |
| Days 5–7 | 60.5 | 39.5 | 4.1 | < 0.001 |
| Period 2 | ||||
| Day 5 | 53.5 | 46.5 | 6.1 | 0.253 |
| Day 6 | 54.0 | 46.0 | 9.3 | 0.397 |
| Day 7 | 51.8 | 48.2 | 9.8 | 0.716 |
| Days 5–7 | 53.1 | 46.9 | 4.9 | 0.207 |
| Period 3 | ||||
| Day 5 | 50.2 | 49.8 | 5.1 | 0.951 |
| Day 6 | 52.0 | 48.0 | 7.5 | 0.588 |
| Day 7 | 53.7 | 46.3 | 7.7 | 0.342 |
| Days 5–7 | 52.0 | 48.0 | 3.9 | 0.319 |
| Overall | ||||
| Day 5 | 55.4 | 44.6 | 3.3 | 0.001 |
| Day 6 | 53.6 | 46.4 | 4.6 | 0.116 |
| Day 7 | 56.6 | 43.4 | 5.0 | 0.010 |
| Days 5–7 | 55.2 | 44.8 | 2.5 | < 0.001 |
aLeast-squares means based on 27 pen-observations of 8 pigs each. Within the pen, the same starter diet was offered for 3 d in three different non-test periods to all pens of pigs. The same diet was offered as mash in two feeders with four feeding spaces. Each pig had access to 0.5 feeding space if all pigs were eating simultaneously. Feeder position within and among pens was not switched.
bFeeder preference was expressed as a percentage of feed intake from feeder positioned on left or right out of total intake from the two feeders.
cFor feeder preference, effects of feeder position and an interaction between feeder position and period were observed (P < 0.05), but effects of period and day were not (P > 0.05).