The effect of an anabolic steroid on the performance and carcass measurements of gilts and barrows in the finishing stages of growth

Abstract

Summary1. An experiment involving 64 individually-penned pigs (32 females (gilts) and 32 castrated males (barrows)) was conducted over the live weight range 50 to 83 kg, to study the effects of a parenterally administered anabolic steroid upon the performance and carcass measurements of gilts and barrows given either a 15·0% or an 18·8% crude protein (CP) diet at two different levels.2. The steroid significantly improved both daily weight gain (+5·2%) and food conversion ratio (+4·8%) of gilts and barrows.3. There were no significant treatment interactions for either daily weight gain or food conversion ratio, but the data suggest that gilts responded to the hormone to a greater extent than barrows at the particular dose level of the steroid administered.4. The steroid significantly improved the carcass, as assessed by linear backfat measurements, of pigs given the higher CP diet but had no effect upon carcass measurements of pigs given the lower CP diet.