NEWS ▶▶▶ Predicting the exact slaughter age in pigs
Is it possible to determine in advance the slaughter age of pigs when it is 120kg? Yes, to a good extent that is possible, using machine learning technology, researchers from the Netherlands found out. The researchers, attached to the University of Groningen, Wageningen University & Research and Topigs Norsvin, shared their results in the peer-reviewed Journal of Animal Science. Their research was based on data of almost 33,000 purebred Large White pigs. In their article, the researchers wrote: “The weight of a pig and the rate of its growth are key elements in pig production. In particular, predicting future growth is extremely useful, since it can help in determining feed costs, pen space requirements, and the age at which a pig reaches a desired slaughter weight. “However, making these predictions is chal- lenging, due to the natural variation in how in- dividual pigs grow, and the different causes of this variation.” Apart from machine learning, the scientists used the variable importance score from the machine learning to quantify the importance of different types of input data for that predic- tion. Breeding company Topigs Norsvin provid- ed data of 32,979 purebred Large White pigs. The data consisted of phenotypic data, esti- mated breeding values (EBVs), along with
Oregano oil benefits sow and piglet
pedigree and pedigree-genetic relationships. The team also presented a two-step data re- duction procedure, based on random projec- tions (RPs) and principal component analysis (PCA), to extract features from the pedigree and genetic similarity matrices for use as inputs in the prediction models. The researchers stated that the results showed that relevant phenotypic features were the most effective in predicting the output (age at 120kg), explaining approximately 62% of its variance. Estimated breeding value, pedigree, or pedi- gree-genetic features interchangeably explain 2% of additional variance when added to the phenotypic features, while explaining, respec- tively, 38%, 39%, and 34% of the variance when used separately.
The addition of natural oregano essential oil can benefit both lactating sow and her piglets. That was stated in a new paper, presented by Dr Melanie Le Bon, of Nottingham Trent Uni- versity, at the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) conference. Oregano essential oil is well documented to offer support to animal health and perfor- mance as a result of the active compounds within it. Carvacrol and thymol are two such compounds and these have been shown to demonstrate both antimicrobial and anti- oxidant functions in the animal. The study presented by Dr Le Bon was under- taken on a commercial pig unit in the UK and involved 62 multiparous sows. Performance parameters assessed throughout the study included sow feed intake and body condition score, alongside piglet weekly weight, mortality, medication usage and creep feed intake. The research concluded that the inclusion of oregano essential oil helped maintain the body condition score of lactating sows, im- proved piglet weight gain throughout the first week of life, reduced piglet pre-weaning mor- tality and significantly lowered incidence of medication usage.
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▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 35, No. 6, 2019
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PHOTO: RONALD HISSINK
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