The gilts arrived at the farm at 161.2 6.5 days of age and were housed in pens, with 20 gilts per pen. Boar
stimulation to induce puberty started 10 days after they arrived and was performed once a day using physical
contact. After the first oestrus, the gilts were transferred to individual crates with a slatted floor in the breeding
building, to be bred at second or third oestrus. After the last insemination, the gilts were moved to gestation
facilities where they were housed in individual crates up to 50 days of pregnancy. Thereafter, pregnant gilts were
transferred to a breed-to-wean farm where they were
housed in groups of 12 animals (1.5 m2/gilt). In the
breeding building, they were fed 3 kg/days of a standard
corn soybean diet (3200 kcal EM/kg, 14% crude protein,
and 0.7% digestible lysine) up to breeding. From
insemination up to 3 days after, they received 1.8 kg/
day and then 2.2–2.4 kg/day was provided up to
86 days of gestation. Between 87 days of gestation until
transfer to farrowing rooms, 2.6–2.8 kg/day was
offered. Ad libitum access to water was provided
throughout the experimental period.