Growth and productive characteristics of English-origin hybrid male pigs under different castration methods and liquid feeding conditions

The article investigated the effects of surgical and immunological castration on growth intensity, level of feed consumption, feed conversion and preservation of hybrid boars obtained from Great White and Landrace half-breed sows and РIС-337 English origin synthetic terminal boars during suckling, rearing and fattening in conditions of the industrial pig complex of the Poltava region, Ukraine. Males of the control group were surgically castrated on the third day of life. The males of the research group were vaccinated with Improvak vaccine for the first time on the 112th day and the second time on the 140th day of life. In all periods of ontogeny, except the growth period, the immunocastrated pigs grew faster and had a higher absolute growth and mass at the end of each period than their counterparts surgically castrated. The average daily feed intake and feed conversion also depended on the castration method. Thus, non-castrated pigs consumed 11.7% less feed during rearing and 6.23% more during fattening. At the same time, feed conversion in surgically castrated animals was 2.9% higher in the rearing period, 12.7% higher in the first fattening period and 3.8% higher in the final fattening period than in immunocastrated animals. In order to improve growth intensity, feed consumption and feed conversion in boars of the synthetic terminal line РIС-337 of English origin under conditions of industrial pig complexes, it is recommended to use immunocastration instead of surgical castration.