Semi-modern pig farming in Korhogo, Ivory Coast, and the challenges of vitamin D requirements

The main objective of this work was to study the nutritional quality of pork produced in Ivory Coast by pig farmers in Korhogo. This study involved blood samples of pigs from two categories of piggeries. Some pigpens were completely covered and other were partially covered. For each sample, vitamin D3, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium were measured. The concentration of vitamin D3 in pigs from fully covered pigpens was low (6.19 ng/mL) compared to the concentration of vitamin D3 in the blood of pigs from partially covered pigpens (109.69 ng/mL). According to these results, since sunrise induces the synthesis of vitamin D3 in the body of pigs, covered pigpens are not recommended for pig farmers in Korhogo. Thus, the main recommendation should be to open the pigpens for sunrise or to provide vitamin D3 in animal feed.