Effect of meal frequency on performance and behavior of individually- or group-housed gestating sows

The effect of splitting daily feed allowance in 1, 2 or 3 meals from the 11th to the 107th day of gestation was studied in individually- (two batches of 24 or 21 animals) or group-housed (four batches of 18 animals, 6 per pen) sows. Within each batch, the three meal frequencies were studied in the same room. Sows were weighed and their back-fat thickness (BF) was measured at the 9th, 58th and 107th days of gestation (referred as G9, G58 and G107, respectively). Within 7 days before and/or after weighing, standing frequency was measured over the daylight period (12 hours). The non feeding oral activities (NFOA) and the standing frequency were also scored at 3-min intervals during the hour following each food delivering time for individually housed sows. Standing frequency was lower in N1 sows while their NFOA were increased when compared to N2 and N3 sows. That may have resulted in a similar energetic cost of total physical activity, which would explain the non significant effect of meal frequency on body condition recovering in the present experiment. Housed-group sows were thinner at G9 and were allowed a higher daily feed allowance than individuallyhoused animals. Consequently, gestation body weight gain was higher in group-housed sows (46 vs. 41 kg) but their BF at G107 was 2.1 mm below the expected value of 21 mm (-0.5 mm in individually-housed sows). Such a difference resulted from a longer standing duration (+37 min/12 hours) which was not taken into account in feed allowance calculation.