Abstract
The present study examined the effect of temperature of wet feed on the feeding behavior, growth and digestibilities of piglets fed under the natural temperature condition. Three hogs and 6 female piglets (crossbred: Dekalve) were used. The feeds with different temperatures (15°C, 20°C and 25°C) were prepared, of which ratio of water to feed was 2:1. The piglets were deviled into three groups equally. They were penned individually and the feed, which was equivalent to 6-8% of body weight per day, was provided twice a day. Growth test was carried out from 35 days old to 75 days old, and the feeding behavior was observed for 5 days at the following mean body weight: 10kg, 20kg and 30kg. Digestibility was determined with the indicator method of Cr2O3 from 28th to 32nd day of the experiment. Environmental temperature changed in the range of 17 to 25°C, and the mean temperature was 21.6°C. Body weight gain and feed intake amount of 15°C treatment group tended to be higher than the other 2 groups. Feed efficiencies of 15°C and 20°C treatment group showed the significantly higher values than that of 25°C treatment group. Feed intake time and feed intake amount/min. showed short time and high level, respectively, in 15°C and 20°C treatment groups at each growth stage. Digestibility was not affected by feed temperature.
