Analysis of Pig Growth From Birth to Sixty Days of Age

Purdue University 2003 Swine Research Report. The optimization of pork production systems, including the evaluation of alternative management and marketing strategies, requires knowledge of the between and within pig variation in body weight. Little research has been conducted on the growth of pigs from birth to 50 lbs live weight. Heavier pigs at birth and weaning have a competitive advantage and remain heavier throughout their stay in the group. The relationship between the serial live weights and variation in live weight both within and between pigs may be evaluated by the use of nonlinear mixed effects model (Craig and Schinckel, 2001; Schinckel and Craig, 2002). The objectives of this research were (1) to evaluate alternative methods to predict the growth of individual pigs from birth to approximately 60 days of age; (2) to evaluate the relationship of birth weight to subsequent live weights; and (3) to evaluate the relationships amongst the serial live weights.