Effects of dietary roughage on organic pig performance, behaviour and antioxidants accretion in perirenal adipose tissue

•Oat silage did not affect growth but increased the pen fixture exploration outdoors.•Entire males and gilts showed similar negative interactions with other pen-mates.•Oat silage did not affect the concentration of tocopherols in perirenal fat.•Oat silage increased retinol and decreased cholesterol accretion in perirenal fat. This study aimed at investigating the effects of oat silage and sex on the growth performance, behaviour and antioxidants accretion in perirenal adipose tissue of organic pigs. In total, ninety-three crossbred pigs (51.8 ± 7.6 kg) from two sexes (entire males vs. females) were assigned to two dietary roughage supplement treatments (control with straw vs. 200 g dry matter/pig/day of oat silage supplement) in a 2 × 2 factorial design until 120 kg of live-weight. There was no significant effect of forage type or sex on growth performance. However, the oat silage had a positive effect on the exploration behaviour on the outdoor run fixtures. The retinol concentration in adipose tissue was higher in the pigs that were given the oat silage than in those receiving the control diet, but the feeding treatment did not affect the concentration of α-, γ- and δ- tocopherols. The oat silage carried out lower cholesterol accretion in adipose tissue than the control diet. The sex did not affect retinol, tocopherols or cholesterol concentration in adipose tissue. Dietary silage supplement may be used by producers to enhance pork vitamin A content.