Gestational and lactational feeding strategies for gilts: Growth, carcass characteristics and meat quality of the progeny

This study was conducted to determine whether feeding gilts (1) at or above their National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council (NAS-NRC 1998) requirements during gestation, and (2) to lose a moderate (-10%) or large (-17%) amount of maternal protein during lactation had a residual effect on their progenyʹs growth, carcass characteristics and pork quality at market weight. From each litter, the heaviest and lightest barrows and gilts were selected. The progeny of gilts fed above their requirements during gestation, and those that lost the least body protein during lactation were heavier at weaning; +0.3 kg (P < 0.05) and +0.5 kg (P < 0.01), respectively. However, these liveweight differences, which were associated with the gestation and lactation effects, were no longer evident (P > 0.05) at day 35 or 85 post-weaning. But at slaughter, these animals had thinner (P < 0.01) fat thickness and higher (P < 0.05) predicted salable meat yield. Independently of the gestation and lactation treatments, and compared to the low-weaning-weight pigs, the high-weaning-weight pigs maintained their weight advantage (P < 0.01 at day 35 (+2.8 kg) and day 85 (+5.4 kg) post-weaning), took 4.5 fewer days (P < 0.01) to reach market weight, but had similar (P > 0.05) carcass characteristics and pork quality.