Effect of feed intake level and dietary protein content on the body temperature of pigs housed under thermo neutral conditions

Feed intake and diet composition appear to affect the body temperature of pigs. Two trials were conducted to analyse the effect of feed intake level and dietary protein content on the intestinal temperature (IT) of pigs housed under thermo neutral conditions. Ten pigs (64.1 +/- 1.3kg initial body weight) fitted with an ileal cannula were used. A thermometer set to register the IT at 5-min intervals was implanted into the ileum through the cannula. In both trials, the ambient temperature ranged from 19.1 to 21.6 degrees C and the pigs were fed at 07:00 and 19:00hr (same amount each time). In trial 1, the pigs were fed daily 1.2 or 1.8kg of a wheat-soybean meal diet. The IT followed a similar pattern along a 24-hr period regardless the feed intake level. The IT rapidly increased up to 0.61 and 0.74 degrees C after the morning meal and up to 0.53 and 0.47 degrees C after the evening meal in pigs fed 1.2 and 1.8kg/d respectively. The postprandial IT was higher in pigs fed 1.8kg after each meal (p<.05). In trial 2, pigs were fed daily 1.8kg of a low (11%) or a high (22%) crude protein diet. The IT followed a similar pattern along the 24-hr period regardless the dietary protein level. The postprandial IT did not differ between pigs fed the low protein or the high protein (p>.10). The IT rapidly increased up to 0.66 and 0.62 degrees C after the morning meal in pigs fed the high- and low-protein diet (p<.05), but there was no change after the evening meal (p>.10). In conclusion, the feed intake level affected the IT of pigs housed under TN conditions, but the dietary protein content had no effect.