Table 6 Explanatory variables addressed in the models on ADG and mortality
Explanatory variable | Level | Interpretation of levels |
|---|---|---|
Primary | ||
Diarrhoea | None | The piglet was not diarrhoeic at any day |
1 day (during day 1) | The piglet was diarrhoeic for one day - at the day of birth | |
1 day (during day 2–5) | The piglet was diarrhoeic for one day during the second to fifth day of life | |
> 1 day | The piglet was diarrhoeic for more than one day during the five day study-period | |
Secondary | ||
Litter level | ||
Parity | Young | 1st parity |
Mature | 2nd – 7th parity | |
Diarrhoeal status of litter (DSL) | Severely affected | 50% or more of the piglets in the litter were diarrhoeic for one or more days (the day of birth did not count) |
Mildly affected | Less than 50% of the piglets of the litter were diarrhoeic for one or more days (the day of birth did not count) | |
Piglet level | ||
Gender | Male | |
Female | ||
Birth weight | Continuous scale | |
Skin abrasions | Yes | Skin abrasions on head or fore-knees at any point during the study period |
No | No skin abrasions on head or fore-knees | |
Herd effect | 1 | Effect of being born in herd 1 |
2 | Effect of being born in herd 2 | |
3 | Effect of being born in herd 3 | |
4 | Effect of being born in herd 4 |