THE EFFECT OF CLIMATIC ENVIRONMENT AND RELOCATING AND MIXING ON HEALTH-STATUS AND PRODUCTIVITY OF PIGS

Two similar style experiments were carried of it in a climate-controll ed pig house to determine the effects of adverse climatic conditions a nd relocating and mixing on the health status and productivity of pigs . In both experiments, 120 pigs were used. The climate-controlled pig house consisted of two fully separated but identical rooms (experiment al and control) with five pens each (12 pigs per pen). Pigs exposed to draught and low environmental temperature had lower daily gain (exper iment 1: 45 g/day; experiment 2: 25 g/day) and higher food conversion (food : gain ratio) than pigs housed under optimal climatic conditions (control). Moreover, clinical disease signs (i.e. diarrhoea, coughing , sneezing and haemorrhagic ear lesions) were more pronounced in the e xperimental than in the control group. In experiment 1, pigs were relo cated and mixed at 10 weeks of age either within or between the experi mental and control room. Data showed clear negative effects on daily g ain and clinical disease signs especially among pigs that were relocat ed to suboptimal climatic conditions. In experiment 2, pigs were eithe r relocated and mixed between both rooms or they remained in their own pens. Data on daily gain and clinical disease signs revealed that the health of the pigs was strongly affected by mixing. Therefore, the pr esent work emphasizes the importance of climatic environment and socia l factors in intensive pig production.