Linear and Nonlinear Mixed Models to Determine the Growth Curves of Weaned Piglets and the Effect of Sex on Growth

Roberto Besteiro (), Tamara Arango, Manuel R. Rodríguez and María D. Fernández
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Roberto Besteiro: Animal Production Department, Centro de Investigacións Agrarias de Mabegondo, Xunta de Galicia, 15318 A Coruña, Spain
Tamara Arango: Independent Researcher, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Manuel R. Rodríguez: Department of Agroforestry Engineering, Higher Polytechnic Engineering School, Campus Terra, University of Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
María D. Fernández: Department of Agroforestry Engineering, Higher Polytechnic Engineering School, Campus Terra, University of Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: This study characterizes the growth of weaned Large White × Landrace hybrid piglets from 6 to 20 kg live body weight (BW) under real farm conditions. Batches of 50 castrated male pigs and 50 gilts were weighed repeatedly over two 6-week breeding cycles. The data was fitted to various linear (quadratic and exponential) and nonlinear (Gompertz, Richards, logistic, Von-Bertalanffy) mixed models to find the best-performing model. During the postweaning phase, animal growth was modelled, and the effect of sex on growth was determined by incorporating the variable, sex, into the mixed models and using t-tests for paired samples. The average BW at weaning was 6.86 kg, and the average BW by the end of the cycle was 19.46 kg, with an average daily gain (ADG) of 0.324 kg/day. Over the study period, the variable, sex, did not show a significant effect ( p < 0.05) on piglet growth. The nonlinear mixed models performed better than the linear mixed models, with the Gompertz (RMSE = 0.296) and Von-Bertalanffy (RMSE = 0.288) curves as the best-performing models. When fitted to the Gompertz curve, the data showed a maximum ADG of 0.508 kg/day on day 27 postweaning. Accordingly, nonlinear mixed models can provide useful information to farmers about the evolution of weaned piglet growth and can be used for the early detection of growth anomalies.

Keywords: nonlinear mixed growth model; piglets; precision livestock farming; livestock production; sex (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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