TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Effects of Group Sizes on Behaviors, Meat Characteristics and Growth Performance of
Growing and Finishing Pigs in the Tropics
AU - Wiyabot, Thunwa 
JO  - Research Journal of Animal Sciences
VL  - 14
IS  - 3
SP  - 33
EP  - 37
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2001/08/19
SN  - 1993-5269
DO  - rjnasci.2020.33.37
UR  - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=rjnasci.2020.33.37
KW  - Group size
KW  -growing and finishing pigs
KW  -temperature-humidity
KW  -index
KW  -feeding behaviors
KW  -feeding frequency
AB  - The group sizes were 4, 8 and 12 pigs/pen,
providing a floor allowance of 1.50, 0.75 and 0.51 m<sup>2</sup>/pig,
respectively. The pigs that were reared in a group size of
12 pigs/pen ate, drank, walked, mouth piped, rooted the
floor, rooted the pipe and pawed more significantly often
(p<0.05) than did the pigs that were reared in group sizes
of 4 and 8 pigs/pen. These feeding behaviors and the high
temperature of Thailand caused high rectal and skin
temperatures which were the highest in the group size of
12 pigs/pen. Moreover, the high temperature and the
increased group size may cause heat stress which would
decrease the Average Daily Gain (ADG). The largest
group size of 12 pigs/pen presented the lowest ADG in
both growing and finishing phases which significantly
differed (p<0.05) compared to the group sizes of 4 and
8 pigs/pen. In addition, the high temperature and the
feeding frequency in the group sizes of 8 and
12 pigs/pen provided a better back fat thickness that was
significantly less than that of the group size of 4 pigs/pen
(p<0.05).
ER  -