1Livestock Research Station, Kattupakkam-603 203, India.
2Intervet India Private Limited, C/o. Cauvery Vet Pharma, D/15, North East Extn., Thillai Nagar, Thriuchirapalli-620 018.
3Department of Livestock Production and Management, Madras Veterinary College, Chennai-600 007.
An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of castration on the growth rate, feed efficiency and linear body measurements of Large White Yorkshire pigs. The experimental group consisted of castrated and uncastrated pigs with 8 in each group and a second trial was conducted with one more set of pigs. The final body weight at 180 days of age was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in castrated group (72.03±0.57 kg) compared to uncastrated group (70.44±0.41 kg), whereas, the daily body weight gain was not statistically different between the two experimental groups. The average daily feed intake was significantly (P < 0.01) lower in uncastrated group (1.53±0.01 kg) than the castrated group (1.99±0.05 kg). The feed efficiency was significantly (P < 0.01) better in uncastrated group (3.28±0.17) compared to castrated (4.00±0.19) group. The body length was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in uncastrated group than the castrated group, whereas the chest girth and height of the animals were significantly (P < 0.01) higher in castrated group than the uncastrated group.
