Effects of different sanitary challenges on voluntary feed intake in growing pigs
Résumé
Poor sanitary conditions can affect technical and economical results of pig production. The aim of this work is to quantify the impact of sanitary challenges (SC) on the average daily feed intake (ADFI) in pigs. A database was built using information from 87 papers published in peer-reviewed journals. It contains results from in vivo experiments realised on 11136 pigs to test the impact of a SC during the post-weaning, growing and finishing periods. The origin of the SC was either bacterial, viral, parasitic, intoxication by mycotoxins, and poor hygienic housing. Across studies, ADFI was related to body weight using polynomial or exponential models. On average, ADFI was 8% lower in challenged animals compared with controls. The most important reduction in feed intake was observed for viral challenges during the post-weaning period (-30%