Growth and oesophagogastric lesions in finishing pigs offered pelleted feed ad libitum.

The growth rates of 458 finishing pigs between 25 kg and 107 kg liveweight, which were offered finely ground pelleted feed ad libitum, were determined and their stomachs were examined at slaughter. Two herds were involved and a macroscopical examination of the mucosal lesions in the pars oesophagea revealed a prevalence of 75 per cent of the 274 pigs in herd A and 89 per cent of the 184 pigs in herd B with hyperkeratosis of the pars oesophagea, and approximately 11 per cent of the pigs in both herds with extensive erosions and/or ulceration; on average the pigs with extensive lesions gained 50 to 75 g/day less weight than the pigs with no lesions in the pars oesophagea. There was no difference between the prevalence of the oesophagogastric lesions of different severity between barrows and gilts, but there was evidence for differences between litters.