The
results of this study support these previous findings.
Weaning pigs earlier is likely to increase sow productivity
(Pluske etal.,1995) with an increased number of piglets
produced per sow per year(Hoshino andKoketsu,2009)
principally as a consequence of increased litters per sow
per year. On the other hand, studies have shown that early
weaning may lead to increased feed costs(Smith etal.,
2008), since pigs are introduced to more expensive diets
earlier. Moreover,in the present study, FCR to 10 weeks of
age improved with an increase in weaning age,indicating
that later weaned pigs need less feed to achieve the same
weight.