Genetic correlations between gestation length, piglet survival and early growth

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2008 | No Comments

The first aim of this study was to estimate the genetic effects of the piglets and the sow on gestation length. The second aim was to estimate genetic correlations between gestation length, piglet survival and average piglet growth. It was concluded that in pigs, gestation length is influenced by the genotypes of both the piglets and the sow. Selection or longer gestation would probably improve piglet survival after birth as well as piglet growth. It might, however, also result in more stillborn piglets.

Viable treatments for coccidiosis prove elusive, study shows

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In the most recent study, carried out on three farms
between May and September of 2007, fecal samples were
collected from 218 randomly selected pigs. Weights were
recorded weekly up to eight weeks of age from the 218
pigs and 467 litter mates. “Quite surprisingly,” the study’s final
report states, “at four weeks of age, pigs that were detected
positive for coccidia at two or three weeks of age were an average of 435 grams lighter than pigs that originated from
litters that were negative for coccidia.”
Similarly, at five weeks, pigs from positive litters were an
average 703 grams lighter than pigs which tested negative
for coccidia, although at eight weeks there was no difference
in weights between pigs that had had the parasite and
those that did not.
Of the most practical significance to producers this study found that farms not using detergent to clean
the farrowing crate environment were 1.7 times more
likely to be positive for coccidia than farms that do use
detergent.” However, he noted that the use of disinfectant
in the farrowing crate environment did not affect the risk
of coccidia.

Feeder Use Patterns in Group-Housed Pregnant Sows Fed With an Unprotected Electronic Sow Feeder (Fitmix)

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This study used data recorded by Fitmix feeders in three different stable
groups of pregnant sows to study (a) variations in the feeder use over time, (b)
circadian variations in the feeder use, (c) the consistency of the feeder order,
and (d) the effects of dominance rank on feeder use. Sixty Large White X Landrace female pigs (Sus scrofa) from first to eighth parity were selected on a commercial farm with high health status (PRRS and Aujeszky free). It was found that the lack of protection while feeding in Fitmix made sows split their ration in several visits. On the other hand, this fact also seemed to increase efficiency by reducing nonfeeding occupation of the feeder. Optimization of the feeder efficiency took several weeks. However, a rank-related feeder order was quickly established and maintained over time. The establishment of a feeder order may ameliorate disturbances around the feeder and help stockmanship to detect
problems. Nevertheless, these conclusions should not be extrapolated to different ESF designs, larger group sizes, or dynamic groups.

Ammonia emissions from organic housing systems with fattening pigs.

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The aim of this study was to determine the level and variations in ammonia emissions from buildings and outside yards, with different manure removal systems, for organically raised fattening pigs. It was found that differences in ammonia emissions between farms were probably mainly related to the manure removal system, design of the building and frequency of cleaning of outside yard. The farm with daily scraper cleaning and the farm with the slatted floor system had significantly lower emissions than the farm with bi-weekly manual removal of manure from a solid floor.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15375110

Feeding Amino Acid Chelated Copper and Zinc to Reduce Mineral Pollution From Swine Manure

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It was hypothesized that Zn and Cu reductions in feed have compromised swine performance and substituting amino acid chelated (AAC) sources for traditionally employed inorganic salts (IM) may overcome environmental and swine performance problems. It was found that supplementing swine rations with Cu and Zn AAC could lower environmental impact through reduced fecal mineral concentrations and due to greater AAC bioavailability, feed rations could potentially be formulated with lower inclusions of Cu and Zn, without compromising swine’s performance.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.jarvm.com/articles/Previous.htm

Tile drains capture less water than expected

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Tile drains are not nearly as effective at rapidly removing
excess water as people assume, a good thing if you
are concerned about applied animal nutrients getting into
surface water bodies.
Experiments conducted last fall on a farm in the Upper
Thames River watershed near Kintore were designed to
mimic the worst conditions for applying pig manure – wet,
macroporous soil in fields that are systematically tiled. The research team found that tile drain discharge, even under
those conditions, could only directly account for 10 to 15 per cent
of the water that was applied to the surface of the field.
“The bottom line,” Rudolph says, “is that tile drains capture
much less than we ever would have expected. It has
been conventionally assumed that the tiles have a very large
area of influence. Field experiments show the influence is
much smaller than we’d anticipate.”
“To help us further understand the risks that tile drains
impose on our water resources,” says Rudolph, “more field
experiments are being conducted in other geological settings
and under a wider range of climate conditions.” He also
adds that movement of the chemical tracers applied last fall
is still being monitored.

Ractopamine hydrochloride and the environmental sustainability of pork production

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments

We (Patience et al. 2006) and others have shown improvements in lean growth and feed
efficiency when ractopamine (Paylean®) was fed to finishing pigs. The objective of the following
experiment was to determine if the improvements in nutrient utilization with Paylean can lead to a
demonstrable reduction in the environmental footprint of pork production.
A metabolism experiment was conducted to measure the effect of 0. 5 or 10 mg/kg
ractopamine (RAC) from Paylean on N and water balance in finishing swine. Paylean improved ADG,
N retention in the carcass and feed efficiency and decreased water intake and urine output. Because of
the improvement in N and water utilization in finishing pigs, we concluded that Paylean can reduce the
environmental impact of pork production.

The influence of diets supplemented with conjugated linoleic acid, selenium, and vitamin E, with or without animal protein, on the quality of pork from female pigs

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This study assessed the quality of pork from the LM and semimembranosus muscle (SM). The pigs were grown on diets containing either animal or plant products, or plant products only (the plant group), with or without
a supplement containing extra CLA, selenium, and vitamin E. It is concluded that the dietary treatments had some effects on certain meat quality parameters. However, the overall effects on appearance and palatability were small and unlikely to be of importance.

Quality Evaluation of Fresh Pork Using Visible and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy with Fiber Optics in Interactance Mode

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The feasibility of evaluating color value, chemical components, and other physical characteristics of fresh,
random thickness pork samples by visible/near‐infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was determined. It was found that the color and chemical composition can be evaluated very accurately and it is possible to make rapid, nondestructive, and accurate pork quality evaluation using visible and near‐infrared spectroscopy.

Cash Settlement of Lean Hog Futures Contracts Reexamined

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The purpose of the paper is to reexamine cash settlement of lean hog futures contracts as a
hedging tool, focusing on basis behavior and management of basis risk. To understand the
dimensions of the situation, first we compare hog futures contract basis level, variability, and exante
basis risk measured in terms of forecast ability between physical delivery and cash
settlement using data from 1985 to 2008 on hog cash and future prices. We then examine the
hedging usefulness of the current CME lean hog index and provide an alternative hedging
instrument—a regional basis contract—that takes into account location differences between
regional cash prices and the CME lean hog index. Our results indicate that basis has widened and
its variability prior to expiration has increased in the cash settlement period. However, we find
no evidence to suggest that ex-ante basis risk has increased, meaning that the ability to forecast
basis prior to expiration has declined little with cash settlement. Routine hedging with futures
contracts as expected reduces the variability in returns compared to cash sales. Including
location differences further reduces the variability in cash prices. Our results should be of value
to users of the hog futures markets and market analysts that offer pricing advice.