Growth of Krškopolje piglets during lactation and first rearing period

The only Slovenian autochthonous pig breed (Krškopolje) is reared in very diverse conditions resulting in variable growth rates. As literature data on this breed is scarce, different growth phases were assessed within the TREASURE project. Growth in the pre-weaning period (n=156) was recorded on the farms of their origin (7 organic and 11 conventional), whereas the post-weaning period data originated from a subsample (n=42; piglets from 5 organic and 9 conventional farms). transferred to the experimental farm. There the piglets were assigned within litter to three pens; one pen (ECO; n=14) received organic feed mixture (12.8 MJ metabolizable energy, 17% crude proteins), while two pens (CON, n=28) received a conventional starter for 10 days (14 MJ metabolizable energy, 17.8% crude proteins) and thereafter a grower diet (13.6 MJ metabolizable energy, 16.8% crude proteins). Piglets were fed ad libitum and weighed at the average age of 38, 54 and 113 days. Prior to weaning, the piglets grew faster on conventional (app. 20%) than on organic farms (209±16 vs. 173±19 g/day, respectively), but the difference was not significant (P=0.17). Post-weaning, CON group had only 8% higher daily gain than ECO (391±31 vs. 361±41 g/day, respectively; P=0.60). The results suggest that no differences in between the systems are expected within similar rearing and feeding conditions.