Impact of photoperiod on feed intake in weaner piglets

A total of 336 piglets weaned at 26 days were placed in two stalls. Ambient air temperature ranged from26°C at the start to 24°C at study end. One stall had a light cycle from 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. while piglets in the other stall were exposed to constant lighting. Over the first week of the experiment, weaned piglets under constant lighting consumed 6% more feed.However, this difference then evened out, and overall there was no significant difference in animal performance over the full post-weaning period.