Morphometry of newborn piglets and its relevance at weaning

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the development of suckling piglets using morphometric parameters. Different models were created to predict the probability to occur any of the three weight classes (light, medium, and heavy) based on the piglets weaning weight. The variables in this research were birth weight (PWB), lactation length (Lac), and morphometric parameters- body length (BL), heart girth (HG), body mass index (BMI), ponderal index (PI), surface-mass ratio (SM), and birth order (BO). An adjustment of the ordinal regression was proposed to predict the weight classifications. The model with a significant effect of the Lac variables was selected. The light and heavy piglets, regardless of their morphometry, have a high chance of staying in the same weight class at weaning. However, this does not occur in medium piglets with diverse morphometry. Summary statementThis manuscript demonstrates how morphometry can influence the development of animals, even with similar weights.