Evaluación de la ganancia de peso en la castración quirurgica en cerdos de tres edades diferentes

Abstract

The present study was conducted at the experimental farm of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the Technical University of Machala, located in the province of El Oro, Ecuador, under controlled conditions that ensured proper management and standardized hygienic protocols. The objective was to investigate the impact of surgical castration performed at different ages (7, 14, and 21 days). The variables analyzed were the average live weight, weekly weight gain, and post-surgical recovery time. Data collection involved weekly weight measurements using a digital scale. The study was experimental, using a completely randomized design (CRD) with three treatments and 10 repetitions per group. Surgical castration was performed under local anesthesia, along with a sterile protocol that included antisepsis with povidone-iodine. Data analysis was carried out using a one-way ANOVA for each variable, after verifying the assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variances. To determine significant differences between treatments, Fisher's Least Significant Difference (LSD) test was applied at a 95% confidence level. Additionally, when data did not meet parametric criteria, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare differences in distributions among groups. The results indicated that pigs castrated at 7 days (T1) showed significantly higher live weight gain compared to those castrated at 14 (T2) and 21 days (T3). Furthermore, post-surgical recovery time was shorter in T1, with less inflammation and faster healing. Therefore, it was concluded that cumulative feed consumption was more efficient in pigs castrated at 7 days, as they achieved better feed conversion ratios, reflecting a more efficient use of nutritional resources. This supports the hypothesis that early castration reduces the impact of surgical stress, leading to more homogeneous and consistent growth.