Carcass Characteristics of Swine as Influenced by Levels of Protein Fed in Pasture and in Dry Lot

Several experiments have been conducted to compare the performance of growing-finishing swine fed on pasture and in dry lot. Most of the early experimental research was conducted with rations that were lacking in vitamin and antibiotic supplementation. In these experiments the pigs fed on pasture tended to gain faster and more efficiently than those fed in dry lot. However, more recent research conducted by Hutchinson et al. (1955, 1956), Conrad and Beeson (1957) and Barnhart, Overfield and Lowry (1959) indicates that with supplemental vitamins and antibiotics, pigs fed in dry lot gained slightly faster than pigs fed on pasture