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Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Early nursery nutrition
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles by admin on June 5, 2017 | No Comments
Every producers approach to nutritional programs may be slightly different to reach maximum profitability. One commonality across strategies during the early nursery phase is to facilitate the adjustment pigs must go through during the transition from sow milk to solid feed. Optimal intake of the right nutrients stimulates a healthy gut for long term effective nutrient absorption while reducing the incidence of post-weaning diarrhea.
Around the time of weaning, the digestive tract undergoes radical changes in physiology, microbiology and immunology. Such as:
- Increased stomach PH
- Decreased lactase and other pancreatic enzymes 3-5 days post weaning
- Gastric motility and stomach emptying are reduced
- Decreased villus height and increased crypt depth
- Intestinal permeability is increased
- Reduction in net absorption of fluids and electrolytes
- Crypt cell numbers are decreased in the large intestine
- barrier function and active absorption are decreased when pigs are weaned at 3 or less weeks of age
The nutritional program for weaned pigs should be designed to match the pigs digestive development at each stage by providing highly palatable and digestible ingredients that encourage feed intake and result in maximum performance.
RAISING NURSERY PIGS WITHOUT ANTIBIOTICS
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles by admin on May 12, 2017 | No Comments
There is a growing demand for meat raised without the use of antibiotics. The consumer is increasingly being educated that this choice comes at a cost and they are increasingly willing to for pay it. Producers have an opportunity to retain a portion of this price increase, to make their operation more profitable. There are a number of challenges that come with antibiotic free pork production. Producers need to weigh the pros and cons for their operation, to determine if it will be feasible and profitable. The tools allowable in each antibiotic free system must be assessed for desired effect before they are incorporated into the system. This discussion will focus on the nursery stage of production, from a farm level perspective.
Pros of antibiotic free production at a nursery stage are mainly to produce a market hog that can be marketed as antibiotic free, or raised under certain restrictions for marketing purposes. Other pros can include a reduction in production costs from reduced antibiotic use and, by default, a higher health status (a higher health status may be necessary to maintain an antibiotic free program). Also, by default, facilities may get some overdue attention, to make sure environment, feeders and water are not causing undue stress to the pigs that prior medication use may have masked.
Cons of antibiotic free production at a nursery stage are fairly straight forward. Disease can rob the extra profits that the program is supposed to incur. Minor issues can become major, when left delayed, or unchecked. Nursery managers can become frustrated if production lags, or mortality and morbidity increase.
REDUCING ANTIMICROBIALS POST-WEANING
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on May 10, 2017 | No Comments
Antibiotics need to be used judiciously. If antibiotics are used when they are not needed, or in a way that provides no benefit, it is a waste of money. Reducing antimicrobial use may help to reduce production costs. In addition, antimicrobial resistance is an emerging problem on pig farms and the over use of antimicrobials does create selective pressure which promotes the increased prevalence of resistant pathogens making treatment of sick animals more difficult. Treatment of animals without a good response due to resistance causes economic loss because of reduced pig performance but also the expense associated with medication. Judicious use does not mean that antibiotics should never be used. Failure to treat conditions that can be readily cured with appropriate antibiotic use results in economic loss and reduced animal welfare.
The hardest problems with measuring antibiotic use are;
1. What unit do you use to describe antibiotic use?
2. How do you compare the use of one antibiotic with the use of a different antibiotic because there is a huge difference in the relative importance between certain antibiotics?
3. How do you persuade anyone to keep accurate records of their antibiotic use?
Treatment record-keeping will need to become routine and we will need to begin to create a standardized method of comparing drug use between farms such as calculating animal daily doses so that antibiotic use can be discussed in the same way as pigs/sow/year.
GUT HEALTH AND THE MICROBIOME
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In pigs, and humans, which have similar GI tract anatomy, by far the largest amount of microbial diversity can be found in the colon. The colon is a specialist organ for microbial fermentation, and in a healthy gut, many of the microbial metabolites produced are beneficial to the host, regulating the immune system and protection from pathogens, increasing the efficiency of caloric extraction from food, and detoxifying otherwise harmful substances. Those who study the human microbiota have begun to understand how diet and the use of pharmaceutical agents such as antimicrobials can radically affect the balance of the gut microbial ecosystem with unintended, detrimental effects. The results of this work are also appropriate to swine management strategies, since effectively managing the gut microbiota of a herd will likely promote great benefits to both animals and farmers.
The gut microbiota is a virtual, but forgotten organ. Studies in humans have clearly demonstrated the importance of gut microbiota to health and well-being, and how dysbiosis within the ecosystem may be associated with a surprising variety of diseases. If a smart approach is taken to modulation of the swine microbiota with live microbes or prebiotic feed enhancement strategies, this may help to improve animal health and product safety, and to reduce farming costs.
HOW HAVE NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND KNOWLEDGE CHANGED OUR VIEWS OF NUTRITION
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Transitioning from total to digestible amino acids and phosphorus and from DE and ME to NE systems have allowed us to understand key nutrient requirements. This has allowed for increased use of byproduct ingredients, thus improving economic efficiency. Robust growth and production models allow more accurate depiction of nutrient requirements while a growing number of on-farm research facilities allows for testing of those requirements, feed ingredients and additives under field conditions. The rapid adoption of automatic feeders for lactating sows has decreased problems with underfeeding that often had occurred during this phase. Improvements in nursery and finishing feeders has decreased feed wastage. In the last 20 years, use of the ethanol byproduct, DDGS, has caused an improved understanding of the impact of nutrition on fat quality, optimal crystalline amino acid use, and fiber withdrawal strategies.
Major effects of mycotoxins on swine performance
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre by admin on May 9, 2017 | No Comments
| Mycotoxin | Primary Effect | Stage Affected | Clinical Signs |
| Deoxynivalenol
(DON, vomitoxin) |
Affects serotonin receptors and cytokine production | All stages (younger pigs may be more susceptible) | Reduced ADFI and ADG1,2
Vomiting2 Diarrhea (soft or watery feces)3 Reduced immune function3 Mild changes to kidney, thyroid, blood4 |
| Aflatoxins | Mutagenic and carcinogenic | All stages | Reduced ADFI and ADG5
Reduced milk production5 Lethargy6 Ataxia (lack of coordination)6 Rough hair coat6 Hemorrhage6 Fatty liver6 |
| Zearalenone | Estrogenic | Pre-pubertal gilts, sows and pre-pubertal boars | Swelling and reddening of the vulva7
Vaginal and/or rectal prolapse7 Anestrus8 Reduced litter size8 Fetal resorption8 Implantation failure8 Decreased libido and testosterone9 Feminization9
|
| Ochratoxin A | Disrupts phenylalanine (an amino acid) metabolism | All stages | Kidney damage10
Decreased ADFI and ADG11 Immunosuppression, increased risk of infection12 |
| Fumonisins | Disrupts lipid metabolism | All stages, especially young pigs | Pulmonary edema3
Reduced immunity3 Decreased ADFI and ADG13 Shortness of breath3 Weakness3 Cyanosis (blue/purple colour of skin/membranes)3 |
| T-2 and HT-2 Toxins | Inhibits protein synthesis | All stages | Unthriftiness6
Low ADFI and ADG6 Reproductive failure6 Gastric upset (diarrhea)6 Cellular necrosis6 Immunosuppression 6 |
| Ergot Alkaloids
|
Neurological | All stages, especially the reproductive herd | Lameness14
Gangrene14 Decreased ADG14 Abortion14 Agalactia (absence of milk production)14 Ataxia14 |
1Decreased ADFI and feed refusals have been shown at levels as low as 0.5-1 ppm (Smith et al., 2005), 2 > 2-5 ppm is for decreased ADFI and ADG, vomiting and complete feed refusal at > 20 ppm (Haschek et al., 2002), 3Pierce and Diaz, 2014, 4JECFA, 2001, 5Nibbelink, 1986, 6Whitlow et al., 2014, 7Friend et al., 1990 , 8Smith et al., 2005, 9Osweiller, 1986, 10Kidney damage occurs at levels as low as 0.5 ppm (Lippold et al., 1992), 11Performance is affected at levels of 2 ppm or greater (Lippold et al., 1992; Stoev et al., 2000), 12Can occur when levels > 2 ppm are fed for longer periods of time (Harvey et al., 1992), 13ADG reduced by 11% when 10 ppm fumonisin B1 was fed to starter pigs for 8 weeks (Rotter et al., 1996), 14Strickland et al., 2011
Understanding gut development in the pig and implication for health and nutrient utilization
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The digestive tract in the neonatal pig undergoes significant structural and functional changes as it transitions from placental feeding in utero to oral feeding after birth, and the consumption of solid food after weaning. This development not only prepares the gut for efficient digestion and absorption of nutrients, but it also helps ensure that a mature gut immune system is in place. Unfortunately, an immature digestive tract in neonatal pigs is still partly responsible for a large population of of peri-natal mortality and pigs and a significant contributor to the post weaning growth check. Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions. For several decades, the swine industry has been over dependent on antibiotic supplementation. The tide has obviously turned against sub-therapeutic antibiotic use and the industry must look for alternatives to antibiotics. However a thorough understanding of gut development in the neonatal pig will be essential for determining ideal strategies to optimize gut health and performance.
Understanding gut development in the pig and implication for health and nutrient utilization
Alternatives to in feed antibiotics: Options, limitations and opportunities
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There are currently three broad strategies for antibiotic alternatives and they are outlined in this review as follows.
- Promoting a stable and healthy gut microflora that excludes pathogens and promotes optimal gut function and animal health
- Killing and inhibiting potential pathogens or detrimental microbes
- Enhancing nutrient availability, digestion and uptake.
Alternatives for promoting a healthy and stable gut flora:
- Probiotics
- Live microorganisms that promote a healthy gut microbial profile
- Prebiotics
- Nutritionally support microbes considered beneficial to gut health
- Essential oils
- Some have antibacterial effects while others increase palatability
- Organic acids
- Modulate gut microbes by reducing PH
- May also increase protien digestion
- Exogenous enzymes
- Alter transit time of gut contents
- provide additional substrates to facilitate bacterial fermentation and the production of volatile fatty acids
Much research continues in an effort to find and develop cost effective alternative products that match or exceed the production benefits associated with in feed antibiotics. As of yet, no single product, or combination of products, appears to consistently provide all of the benefits of or multiple modes of action as do antibiotics. Effects of current alternatives are likely to be more subtle, often encouraging a healthy gut microbiota, but not as likely to overcome significant pathogen loads or preexisting diseases, in contrast to antimicrobial products. Producers must think of alternatives as preventative agents that work in concert with optimal management, nutrition, housing and other husbandry practices to optimizing growth and performance.
Alternatives to in feed antibiotics Options, limitations and opportunities
Precision nutrition can significantly reduce feed cost by improving nutrient efficiency and reducing N and P excretion
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Production, Uncategorized by admin on | No Comments
Precision feeding systems address some of the key issues in today’s intensive livestock farming which are as follows.
- Reducing feeding costs by improving feed and nutrient efficiency
- Improving production system sustainability by increasing profitability and reducing production footprints
- Increasing food safety through traceability
- Improving animal health by the automatic monitoring of individual animals and the responsible use of antibiotics
Essential elements of precision livestock feeding systems include.
- Precise evaluation of the nutritional potential of feed ingredients
- Precise determination of nutrient requirements
- Formulation of balanced diets that limit the amount of excess nutrients
- Concomitant adjustment of the dietary supply and concentration of nutrients to match the evaluated requirements of each pig in the heard
For the purpose of enhancing the Canadian markets sustainability and competitiveness precision livestock feeding systems are developed to do as follows.
- Feeding pigs within a herd according to their individual daily nutrient requirements which:
- Reduces feed cost
- Reduces feed fabrication, storage, management and shipping costs
- Reduces nitrogen, phosphorus and other polluting manure constituents
- Managing feeds and animals by advanced computerized technology to:
- Allow real time off farm monitoring of feeds and animals for optimal slaughter and production strategies
- Reduce labour requirements and costs
- Allows early detection of diseases and precise application of treatments causing improved herd performance
- Allows easy application of optimal production strategies with each herd to:
- Automatically manage individual feed supply and composition
- Facilitate the evaluation of new feeds and feed sub products
- facilitate the determination of nutrient requirements
An update on canola meal utilization in swine rations
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Key findings from the University of Manitoba
- Canola meal can be included in diets for weaned pigs up to 25% without adverse effects to performance so long as the diet is formulated on net energy and standardized ileal digestible amino acid systems
- Canola meal can be included up to 30% in lactating sows diets without effecting sow and litter performance so long as the diet is formulated on net energy and standardized ileal digestible amino acid systems
- Dehulled canola meal using sieving technology can be well incorporated into weaner pig diets with improvement in weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency
- The composition of the basal diets main ingredients (corn VS wheat) influences feed efficiency in weaner pigs when dies are formulated to contain high canola meal content
- several studies show that the standardized total tract digestibility of phosphorus for Brassica napus black and Brassica juncea yellow is 30.7 and 28.3% respectively