Segregated early weaning (SEW) has become a standard practice in the swine industry in Canada. Piglets are weaned at an early age (14 – 20 d) and transported to a separate site to reduce the risk of transmission of disease from the sow to piglets. The relocation of early weaned piglets to a separate site necessarily involves transport. These journeys vary in length but typically, in Canada, fall within the 4-20 hr range. Initially, transport vehicles were heated in winter but the industry has moved to winter transport without heating. There is little information on the preferred transport temperature ranges for piglets or on actual temperatures experienced by early weaned piglets under commercial transport.
The objectives of this research were to:
1. Collect information on vehicle temperature in commercial vehicles transporting early weaned piglets during journeys of varying lengths and in different seasons.
2. To determine the effect of season on the behaviour and production of early weaned piglets following transport.
3. To determine the effect of transport factors other than duration and temperature on the behaviour and production of early weaned piglets following transport.
4. To determine the effect of piglet weight at weaning on the behaviour and production of early weaned piglets following transport.