EVALUATING SEASONAL SERUM VITAMIN D LEVELS AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE IN PIGS FROM ORGANIC FARMS

Authors

  • Tim Šteferl * Clinic for Reproduction and Large Animals, Clinic for Ruminants and Pigs, Nacional centre for animal welfare, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva ulica 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, tim.steferl@vf.uni-lj.si
  • Melita Hajdinjak Laboratory of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška cesta 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Eva Nadlučnik Clinic for Reproduction and Large Animals, Clinic for Ruminants and Pigs, Nacional centre for animal welfare, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva ulica 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Irena Golinar Oven Clinic for Reproduction and Large Animals, Clinic for Ruminants and Pigs, Nacional centre for animal welfare, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva ulica 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Marina Štukelj Clinic for Reproduction and Large Animals, Clinic for Ruminants and Pigs, Nacional centre for animal welfare, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva ulica 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Ožbalt Podpečan Clinic for Reproduction and Large Animals, Clinic for Ruminants and Pigs, Nacional centre for animal welfare, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Gerbičeva ulica 60, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26873/SVR-2202-2025

Keywords:

vitamin D, serum concentrations, pigs welfare, organic farm, growth performance

Abstract

Vitamin D is an essential micronutrient in pig production as it plays an important role in many physiological functions. The aim of this study was to determine serum vitamin D concentration and growth performance in pigs reared on organic farms in different seasons. A total of 109 Krškopolje pigs were selected for this study. Pigs were divided into three groups: low altitude outdoor group A (N = 39), high altitude outdoor group B (N = 36) and indoor group C (N = 34). Blood samples and body weights were collected seasonally in 2022 and 2023. Serum vitamin D levels peaked in summer for outdoor groups A (69.3 ±2.6 ng/ml) and B (65.3 ±4.4 ng/ml) and were the lowest in winter (group A 21.5 ±2.2, group B 35.2 ±2.5). Altitude had no significant effect on vitamin D levels except in winter (p<0.001). Housing type significantly influenced vitamin D levels in every season between groups B and C, and in spring, summer, and autumn between groups A and C. Pigs in the outdoor group A showed higher average final body weights (151.2 ±7.5 kg in 2022 and 146.8 ±3.8 kg in 2023) than those in group C (132.7 ±11.3 kg and 118.5 ±6.9 kg), though this should be interpreted cautiously given variability in initial weights.

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Published

2025-07-18

How to Cite

Šteferl, T., Hajdinjak, M., Nadlučnik, E., Golinar Oven, I., Štukelj, M., & Podpečan, O. (2025). EVALUATING SEASONAL SERUM VITAMIN D LEVELS AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE IN PIGS FROM ORGANIC FARMS. Slovenian Veterinary Research, Early View. https://doi.org/10.26873/SVR-2202-2025

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Copyright (c) 2025 Tim Šteferl *, Melita Hajdinjak, Eva Nadlučnik, Irena Golinar Oven, Marina Štukelj

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