Consequences of immunization against GnRF and ractopamine supplementation on behavioral traits of heavy weight market gilts

An abstract of a study by Rodrigues et al on the consequences of immunization against GnRF and ractopamine supplementation on behavioral traits of heavy weight market gilts is presented. Immunocastration (IM) has recently emerged as an alternative for rearing gilts up to heavier slaughter weights, considering its effects on performance improvement and sexual behavior suppression. The interaction between IM and ractopamine (RAC) supplementation is reported to be beneficial for growth and carcass characteristics. However, some studies reported RAC's adverse effects on swine behavior, mainly increased aggressiveness.