Drinker to Nursery Pigs Ratio: Effects on Drinking Behavior and Performance

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2009 | No Comments

The effect of cup waterer to pig ratio was evaluated to determine changes on nursery pig drinking behavior and performance in 7-week-old gilts. Pigs were housed 25 per pen and allotted 0.22 m2/pig in a nursery facility located in central Missouri. Pen was the experimental unit with 3 pens per treatment group. Ratios of 1:25 (Treatment 1), 1:12 (Treatment 2), and 1:8 (Treatment 3) were studied. Pigs were individually identified and their drinking behavior was videotaped on November 15–16, 2006, for subsequent behavioral quantification and statistical analysis.
A pig was defined as drinking when the head was over the drinker for at least 5 consecutive seconds. Treatment 3 pigs drank significantly more frequently (13.88 ˙ 0.84 in 6 hr) than those provided with 1 or 2 cup waterers per pen
(10.32 ˙ 0.95 and 10.60 ˙ 0.84 respectively; p D .0209). There was a trend (p D .06) for pigs provided 2 or 3 cup waterers per pen to have increased average daily gain compared with those provided a single drinker. This study
demonstrated that when pigs were offered more places to drink they visited the water bowl drinker more frequently during a 6-hr period, which tended to increase average daily gain in nursery-age pigs. Although further research is
needed to confirm these findings, a nursery providing a ratio closer to published guidelines may lead to increased performance.

A genome-wide scan reveals candidate susceptibility loci for pig hernias in an intercross between White Duroc and Erhualian

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The objective of this study was to identify susceptibility loci for umbilical and scrotal/ inguinal hernias using a genome scan in a White Druoc × Erhualian F2 intercross. Several previously reported chromosomal regions for scrotal/inguinal hernia were validated, and new evidence for linkage with this pig defect was found. Moreover, several susceptibility loci for pig umbilical hernia were detected for the first time. Further studies will be devoted to confirming the detected markers for scrotal/inguinal and umbilical hernias in outbred populations. Identification of causative mutations or closely linked markers for scrotal/inguinal and umbilical hernias could be used in marker-assisted selection schemes for removal of this genetic defect.

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Circovirus Vaccines Excel But Issues Persist

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Research trials reflect the integral role that vaccines continue to play.

Forms of P in Different Manures and Their Impact on P Runoff and Leaching Losses from Manure Amended Soils

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Final Report submitted to the Manitoba Livetock and Manure Management Initiative. Continuous application of manure P above crop removal results in a buildup of soil phosphorus (P), which increases the risk of P runoff loss from agricultural land, leading to environmental problems such as eutrophication of surface waters. There is little or no information about the forms of manure P that are correlated with risk of P loss after manure interacts with soil, especially for prairie soils. The objectives of this study were to quantify and compare P losses from liquid swine- and solid cattle- manure treated soils after incubating for 6 weeks, and to relate P losses to manure P forms and soil test P after incubation.

Application of Air Filtration Systems in Swine Operations

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There is a significant economic advantage to maintaining a PRRS negative herd, whether it is a boar stud, sow farm, or nursery-grow-finish. As the reality of aerosol transmission of PRRS, Swine Influenza, and Mycoplasma are being more accepted, any means to prevent aerosol transmission of these agents is of great interest. Our practice has taken an aggressive approach with our producers on air filtration systems. Six farms implemented filtration in 2005, five in 2006, eleven in 2007, and eleven in 2008. An important consideration for us from the start has been that we shouldn’t expect to never have a PRRS break just because we installed air filtration. However, if we can reduce the incidence of PRRS breaks significantly, it would be good return on the investment.

Influence of Pre-Slaughter Process on Pork Quality: An Overview

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The current review outlines the present knowledge of significant pre-slaughter factors affecting technological meat quality. It was found that in general, the recommendations would include feed withdrawal about 12–18 h
before transport and lairage to prevent dead losses and improve meat quality. Electric goads should not be used to make pigs move more rapidly and the load process onto the lorry deck should be facilitated within 1 h, for example by using collecting pens near to the lorry, hydraulic lifts, and reduced groups of pigs without mixing. The stress of animals during transport can be reduced by limiting the length of journey (around 1 h), guaranteeing an adequate preparation of animals (prior access to feed and water), a sufficient loading density (a maximum of 0.425 m2/100 kg) and adequate environmental conditions in the lorry (temperature, humidity, ventilation), and by ensuring good transport conditions (i.e., avoiding excess stops or waiting periods) that reduce stress to the animals. Prior to slaughtering, rest periods should minimize aggressive behavior and relax the animals. For that, recommendations include a lairage of 2–4 h, spraying pigs with cold water, adequate ventilation, supplying water ad libitum and no mixing pigs of unfamiliar groups. Special care must be taken during the transfer of pigs to the stunning system. These operations represent the main source of stress for pigs, especially when bad conditions are practiced. Here, sticks or electric prods to guide animals should be avoided and the animals should be guided in reduced groups along double corridors in order to have the best results in terms of carcass and meat quality.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/lfri20

Changes in Debt Patterns and Financial Structure of Farm Businesses: A Double Hurdle Approach

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The objective of this paper is to help explain one aspect of the changing capital structure of U.S. production agriculture – the increase in the number of debt free farms. It is considered that the farm operator’s decision to borrow outside funds as a “two-step” process. Credit decisions are inherently joint decisions between the lender and the borrowers. Our findings suggest that nonfinancial factors, such as operator age, region, risk aversion, and financial factors such as debt service ability and the cost of capital play significant roles in distinguishing borrowers from non-borrowers. Future research will consider other potentially key explanatory variables and explore alternative econometric methods of modeling farm household credit use.

United States-Animal Rights target Spam.

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An animal-rights group unsuccessfully tried Tuesday to get Hormel Foods Corp. to label all of its meat packages with information on the greenhouse-gas emissions “footprint” caused by making the products. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals representative Stephanie Downs read a statement in support of PETA’s resolution during Hormel
Foods’ annual stockholders meeting Tuesday night at Austin High School. Downs urged shareholders to pass the labeling resolution to “bring transparency about Hormel’s environmental impact.” Hormel chief executive officer Jeffrey M. Ettinger said the company has stated publicly its goal to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from the production and delivery of its products. “We are unable to provide accurate, reliable information on the impact of greenhouse gases per food product due to the lack of universally accepted standards,” Ettinger said. “If meat is on the menu, so is a hefty serving of greenhouse gases,” PETA senior vice president Tracy Reiman said in the release. “Consumers have a right to know how much Hormel’s conversion of animals into meat is contributing to climate change.”

The Voodoo Economics of the US National Pork Producers Council: A Commentary

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Canada recently introduced a program to assist its hog industry. Based on a recommendation
from the Canadian Pork Council, the program has two components that can provide direct
economic benefits to hog producers. One component will pay producers to exit the industry. The
second component provides partial loan guarantees under commercial terms to potentially viable
producers who elect to remain in production and restructure their operations.
The US National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) opposes the program and cites a study from
Iowa State University that estimates a 7.5% reduction in North American hog prices as a result
of the program.
The study is not publically available, so it is not possible to analyze it. However, the claim is
astounding. The aim of the first part of the Canadian program is to reduce the Canadian breeding
herd by 5%, which would eventually reduce the number of market hogs from Canada
accordingly. Assuming price flexibility for pork between -1.0 and -2.0, the loan guarantee
program would need to result in 6.75 million to 13.5 million more hogs from Canada than would
have been the case. This is based on 2008 production levels. If the first component results in a
5% reduction, the loan component would need to result in a 27.5 – 52% increase in Canadian
production in order to suppress prices by 7.5%.
It’s extremely hard to imagine how a program that reduces sow inventories, provides marginal
loan benefits to a relatively small portion of Canada’s industry, and that, at best, guarantees loans
at levels equal to about half of variable costs could ever have any negative impact on North
American prices, let alone one as large as is claimed. Several potential issues that must be
addressed in a proper analysis of the supply response to this program have been identified in this
paper.
Nevertheless, an official of the NPPC, quoted today (August 26), says that the program will put
the onus on poor American producers to adjust and relieve the responsibility from Canadian
producers. No one should have any sympathy for this type of woeful spin. The fact is that
Canada has already reduced its herd by 14.5% from its peak in 2004, and total inventories of
hogs in Canada the second quarter of this year were down 19.4% since mid-2004. During the
same period, US mid-year inventories of hogs grew every year until 2008 before dropping
slightly by 1.4% this year. Meanwhile, US producers have added to this summer’s poor prices
by loading another 4-5 lbs of weight on each hog they ship to market. The market expects that
August 2009 pork production in the US will set a record.
I don’t know whether this Canadian program is good policy or not from a Canadian perspective.
I do know it is responsible from an international trade perspective. It appears inevitable that
there will be threats and the potential reality of yet another trade action by the NPPC. One can
only hope that, when it occurs, the US industry will be held responsible for its failure to adjust to
an ugly market situation, and that proper economic analysis is used in the argument.
One of the major reasons for the current situation in the hog industry is domestic and
international reaction to the outbreak earlier this year of the new H1N1 virus, which is daily
misnamed swine flu in North American media. It has scared domestic consumers and
international customers away from pork and has reduced demand. The NPPC might better use
its resources and influence to fight that real battle than to blame its trading partner for nonexistent
negative effects of a benevolent program.

Behavior and performance of pigs previously housed in large groups

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This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of social familiarity and initial BW variation at mixing on performance and welfare of pigs born to group-housed lactating sows. The results indicated that grouping unacquainted
pigs derived from large groups induced overt aggression, associated injuries and initial reduction in performance, which causes welfare concerns on mixing pigs born to group-housed lactating sows.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/