Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40152488›Full record

ArticleJournal of animal science2025

Feeding style alters the growth and behavior of artificially-reared pigs.

Kaitlyn M Sommer, Loretta Sutkus, Pradeep Senthil, Ryan N Dilger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of animal science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Kaitlyn M SommerDepartment of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Loretta SutkusNeuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Pradeep SenthilDepartment of Computer Science, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Ryan N DilgerDepartment of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2538-2845

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Early-life pig growth is influenced by protein synthesis facilitated by sow milk intake. However, factors such as teat disorders, timing of milk letdown, and seasonal fluctuations can limit milk intake, leading to slower growth and higher mortality rates. Artificial rearing systems allow precise regulation of milk intake, providing a valuable platform for researchers to investigate various feeding strategies, such as ad libitum or weight-based feeding and their impacts on behavior, growth, and health. In our study on feeding style in an artificial rearing system, pigs (85 boars) were removed from the sow on postnatal day (PND) 2 and allotted to treatment based on litter of origin and body weight (BW). Pigs were reared in 4 cohorts across 2 trials over a 15-d feeding period. Experimental treatments included: AD, nutritionally adequate milk replacer provided ad libitum or PRE, nutritionally adequate milk replacer delivered at a prescribed basis according to individual pig BW, which was provided once per hour throughout a 20 h daily feeding cycle. Home-cage tracking and growth performance were measured throughout the study. On PND 6 and 14 an ethogram-based video analysis was performed, spanning the 20-h feeding cycle, to assess home-cage behavioral outcomes. Insulin responsivity was measured near the study conclusion utilizing a feeding-stimulated method and static blood collection time-points. In the study conclusion, pigs were euthanized and underwent body composition analysis. Data were analyzed via a repeated measures or 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with significance accepted at an alpha level of 0.05. Pigs in the AD group exhibited increased (P < 0.05) intake and BW gain but decreased feed efficiency when compared with the PRE group. Additionally, feeding style increased (P < 0.05) serum insulin concentrations 0.5 h after the first feeding in AD pigs when compared with PRE pigs. Feeding style altered (P < 0.05) spatial preference in trial 1 with PRE pigs spending relatively more time in the home-cage quadrant that housed the milk bowl compared with AD pigs. Moreover, PRE pigs spent more (P < 0.05) time visiting the feeding bowl and performing milk consumption behaviors at the bowl than AD pigs. Lastly, the relative proportion of water within soft tissue was increased (P < 0.05) in PRE pigs compared with AD pigs. In conclusion, feeding style impacted growth performance, insulin concentrations, spatial preference, and behavior of artificially-reared pigs.

Indexed as

Animal HusbandryBehavior, AnimalFeeding BehaviorAnimal FeedAnimal Nutritional Physiological PhenomenaAnimalsDietFemaleInsulinMaleSwineInsulinad libitumartificially rearedfeeding styleinsulinpigprescribedtracking

Identifiers

PMID40152488
PMCPMC12056935

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.