The Effect of Temperature on Pigs C. E.

Thermal Neutral Zone A thermal neutral zone (TNZ) is essentially an endotherm's temperature tolerance range. Within the TNZ the basal rate of heat production is in equilibrium with the rate of heat loss to the external environment According to the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching piglets between the weights of 3 kg to 15 kg prefer temperatures between 26˚C to 32˚C Data based on research from 30 years ago may not accurately reflect the 16% increase in metabolic heat production of modern swine

Importance  Thermal stress can result in productivity losses, morbidity, and mortality  For every degree below the lower critical temperature a growing pig looses approximately 10-12g of liveweight gain per day

Graphs of TNZ for Swine

Research at Purdue: Gaskill Lab Lindsey Robbins, a PhD candidate at Purdue, has been working to determine the thermal preference of piglets She has also been studying early life thermal stress (ELTS) To study this, she created a thermocline, a chamber heated at one end and cooled at the other to create a temperature gradient

Thermocline Three identical thermoclines constructed Tested at two ambient temperatures in environmentally-controlled room

Research at Purdue: Gaskill Lab Gradient ranged from 22-40 degrees C

Research at Purdue: Gaskill Lab ELTS or early life thermal stress ELHS exposure has demonstrated future thermo-protection in several species The objective of the study was to evaluate thermal preferences of pigs exposed to ELTS Hypothesis: ELTS would alter thermal preferences of pigs later in life

Research at Purdue: Gaskill Lab Early life cold stressed piglets spent more time in 38–40°C than ELTN piglets More time active in 30–34°C than inactive or maintenance behaviors More food was consumed in 23–31ºC than 35–37ºC ELCS may alter piglet thermal preference later in life Further research required to determine whether this preference is sustained throughout life

Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7r5DOn1ZZY https://ag.purdue.edu/ansc/gaskill/piglet-thermal-preference/ https://academic.oup.com/jas/article- abstract/96/suppl_3/9/5234368?redirectedFrom=fulltext https://thepigsite.com/husbandry/environmental- management/environmental-temperatures https://www.ipic.iastate.edu/publications/210.environmentalpign eeds.pdf elibrary.asabe.org/azdez.asp?JID=1&AID=49738&CID=iles2018&T=2