Selection for efficient lean growth on restricted feeding: 2. Grower performance

Abstract

Two lines of Large White pigs were divergently selected for high and low growth rate over a 6 week period starting at 50 kg live on a fixed ration over a fixed time to test the hypothesis that this type of selection would exploit variation in the efficiency of food utilisation, associated with variation in lean relative to fat deposition. Relative to the low line, the high line grew faster with lower food conversion ratio and fat. On ad libitum feeding, food intake was also reduced.