Water Requirement and Water-saving Effect in Finishing Pigs Fed with Wet/Dry Feeders

Abstract

Feeding experiments were carried out in the summer and the winter to examine water requirement in finishing pigs and to verify water-saving effects with wet/dry feeders.
Three types of feeders were used: 1. Control condition—a conventional adlib hopper and a nipple drinker above the floor, 2. Wet-1 condition—a ledge type wet/dry feeder with a nipple drinker above the trough, and 3. Wet-2 condition—a nose operated flap type wet/dry feeder with a nipple drinker above the trough.
The obtained results were as follows:
1) The summer experiment demonstrated that the average water consumption was 16 litters per pig a day, under the control condition. In contrast, under both Wet-1 and Wet-2 conditions, it was 7.5 and 6.4 litters, respectively. Hence, water consumption in Wet-1 and Wet-2 conditions were less than that of the Control condition. In the winter experiment, no difference were found among the three conditions, as each group consumed from 6.2 to 5.9 litters of water.
2) Water-saving effect provided with wet/dry conditions differed by temperature. The effects seem to be appear when the daily mean temperature is at 10°C and higher, and when the daily maximum temperature is at 15°C and higher.
3) The ratio of consumed water: feed (dry matter) for finishing pigs showed the similar pattern for that of water consumption. The water requirement for finishing pigs was estimated to be from 2.2 to 3.5kg per 1kg of feed (dry matter) based on the water: feed ratio of the Wet-1 and Wet-2 conditions.
4) Weather effects upon water consumption for finishing pigs during the summer months have shown a positive correlation between water consumption and the air temperature, the duration of daylight and the quantity of solor radiation. In the winter months, a positive correlation between live weight and water consumption was noted, but there were no significant correlation between the weather factors and water consumption.