Eating traits in relation to performance and carcass traits of restrictedly fed group-housed finishing pigs

Seventy-two crossbred barrows (28.7 +/- 0.3 kg live weight (LW)) were used to examine whether there is a relation between eating traits, and performan ce and carcass traits in ad libitum and restrictedly fed group-housed pigs. The experiment included two replicates, each consisting of 36 pigs. From d ay 1 to 42, all pigs were maintained with free access to a starter diet con taining 12.7 MJ metabolizable energy (ME) and 8.2 g ileal apparent digestib le lysine per kg. The experimental period was from day 42 (55.9 kg LW) to t he end of the experiment (110.2 kg LW). The pigs in treatment I were mainta ined with free access to a high (H) energy diet (13.1 MI ME and 7.1 g ileal apparent digestible lysine per kg). For pigs in treatments 2 and 3 the dai ly energy allowance per pig was restricted to 18 MJ ME above the daily ener gy requirement for maintenance using diet H, and a low (L) energy diet (12. 5 MI ME and 6.7 g ileal apparent digestible lysine per kg), respectively Th e weekly measured LW was used to compute the energy requirements for mainte nance (M = 0.719 MJ ME X LW (kg)(0.63)). Daily food intake and eating trait s per pig were determined using transponders and an electronic feeding stat ion equipped with an antenna. Daily energy intake of the ad libitum and res trictedly fed pigs was correlated with growth and lean meat tissue content of the carcass. In the pigs given food ad libitum, daily energy intake was correlated with daily feeder visiting time, time per meal and food intake p er meal, but not with number of meals per day and rate of food intake. In t he restricted treatments, number of meals per day was correlated with energ y intake, but not with lean tissue content of the carcass. In conclusion, n umber of meals per day explained part of the variation of lean tissue conte nt of the carcass in ad libitum, but not in restrictedly fed group-housed p igs.