Towards the quantitative characterization of piglets’ robustness to weaning: A modelling approach

Abstract

Short title: Piglets robustness to weaning: a modelling approach correlations between model parameters and individual diarrhoea scores and haematological traits. Overall, the parameters of our model can be useful for constructing weaning robustness indexes by using exclusively the growth curves. We foresee that this modelling approach will provide a step forward in the quantitative characterization of robustness.The quantitative characterization of animal robustness at weaning is a key step for management strategies to improve health and welfare. This characterization is also instrumental for the further design of selection strategies for productivity and robustness. Within a precision livestock farming optic, this study develops a mathematical modelling approach to describe the body weight of piglets from weaning with the rationale that weight trajectories provide central information to quantify the capability of the animal to cope with the weaning disturbance.