Feedlot performance, carcass composition and meat quality of free-range reared pigs

A. P. Sather, S. D. M. Jones, A. L. Schaefer, J. Colyn and W. M. Robertson

Abstract
The effects of the housing system (confinement versus free-range) and season (summer versus winter) on growth performance, carcass composition and meat quality were determined from commercial pigs with known NN-genotype at the halothane locus.

Free-range housed pigs reared from 25 to 105 kg required 16 ± 1.2 (SEM) more days to reach market weight, compared with confinement housed pigs.

Housing did not affect feed requirements during the summer, but food consumption increase by 13.7% for free-range pigs during the winter.

Confinement-reared pigs had a 0.75 ± 0.28 kg heavier commercial carcass weight than free-range reared pigs. While there was no difference in carcass fat thickness, muscle depth was 2.4 ± 1.02 mm greater in free-range reared pigs which increased predicted lean yield from 59.1 ± 0.24% to 59.8 ± 0.24%.

Free-range reared pigs had heavier butts, loins and hams, and lighter bellies, which increased their wholesale carcass value by 2.9%.

Furthermore, they had greater dissected lean in the picnic (2.0%) but (4.0%), loin (4.5%) and ham (2.0%) with no compromise to pork quality.

If the wholesale price is adjusted for the increased lean content of each cut by an additive or multiplicative model, apparent value was further increased to 5.7% or 8.1%.

While these results suggest a beneficial effect on carcass merit when rearing hogs in outdoor facilities, they further suggest potential benefits to carcass grading using developing technologies that recognise differences in carcass conformation.


Source
Canadian Journal of Animal Science (1997) 77: 225-232


Author Locations and Affiliations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research Centre, 6000 C & E Trail, Lacombe, Alberta, Canada T4L 1W1


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