Comparison of five types of pig crosses. I. growth and carcass traits

Abstract 109 gilts and 119 barrows from five crosses: Landrace (LR) × Large White (LW) females crossed with either Duroc (DU), LW or Belgian Landrace (BL) terminal sires, and DU × LW females crossed with either LW or BL sires, were used in the experiment. The animals were grouped and fed ad libitum from 23 to 97 kg. Growth rate and food consumption were measured. The animals were then slaughtered and standard carcass measurements were made. 55 left side carcasses were fully dissected, 84 were partially dissected and 82 hams of the remaining left side carcasses were also dissected. The cross with DU terminal sire grew fastest and showed a better food conversion ratio. There were no significant differences in killing-out and carcass length. The BL progeny had the highest carcass lean content, the best conformation and the highest proportion of ham and loin.