Research looking at two groups of pigs fattened on an outdoor system in Northern Ireland showed good results. It proved there is potential with the rearing method. Even with Northern Ireland’s variable weather conditions, the pigs proved they could adapt to and thrive on an outdoor production unit, despite the challenges.
The eight-month study, carried out at Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute’s Loughgall site, compared pig performance, health and behavior between grassland and agroforestry systems. Two batches of a total 96 pigs were used in the trial, including a spring-summer group and an autumn group. Both groups comprised of undocked Large White-Landrace-Hampshire-cross boars.
Each group was assigned a quarter-acre plot of either grassland or agroforestry, with an insulated shelter that pigs could freely access. Pigs arrived to the trial plots at eight weeks of age weighing about 49 pounds and stayed on site until about 21 weeks of age, at that time weighing about 270 pounds.
At the end, the average daily gain of about 2.3 pounds per day was comparable to the best 10 percent of United Kingdom indoor-finishing herds, and feed efficiency of 2.18 matched the best third.
Pigs in the agroforestry system gained 7 percent more weight than those on grassland. Although they ate more feed to achieve that, feed efficiency remained similar across both systems. According to the institute, one of the most notable results was the almost complete absence of tail injury despite pigs being undocked.
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