Heat stress and competition for food are two major challenges in pigs reared in intensive
conditions. The aim of the present work was to study the e ect of providing a double feeder for pigs
reared under two di erent environmental temperatures. In addition, two types of flooring, of 100%
slat and 30% slat 70% concrete, were also considered. A total of 256 pigs in the growing-finishing
period (from 27 kg to 110 kg) were housed using two environmental temperatures: control (from 18 C
to 25 C) and heat stress (above 30 C six hours a day). They were housed in 32 pens of 8 pigs each,
distributed into 4 rooms (16 with one feeder and 16 with two). Pigs subjected to temperatures above
30 C up to six hours had lower body weight gains than pigs subjected to a maximum temperature of
25 C, confirming that thermal stress negatively a ects performance in pigs. In addition, heat stress
a ected the final product by decreasing the lean percentage of carcasses by 2.6%. A double feeder
reduced the presence of negative social behavior, especially in the feeding area, but body weight was
lower than when one single feeder was used. A 30% slat 70% concrete floor showed better results in
the pig stress indicators and body weights than 100% slat. It is concluded that providing a double
feeder in the pens, although reducing the presence of negative social interactions, negatively a ected
body weight, in comparison to pigs fed with just one feeder.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
