No longer castrating pigs can lead to boar taint. Higher levels of androsterone and skatole are good boar taint indicators. The skatole level can be influenced by feed composition. Researchers as part of the five-year ‘Boars Heading for 2018’ research programme studied whether and to what extent the levels of androsterone and skatole could be influenced using feed composition. The researchers catalogued the effects of various feed systems on boar behaviour.
Although skatole levels decreased, they did not do so significantly. Furthermore, skatole levels proved to be lower in pigs who eat from troughs than among those who are individually fed.
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