The effect of management strategies and parity on the behaviour and physiology of gestating sows housed in an electronic sow feeding system

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on January 1, 2008 | No Comments

How group housed
sows are managed can have an impact on their welfare during gestation. The present study examined the effects of housing
management (static vs. dynamic), stage of gestation at introduction, familiarity within the group, and age of sow on some
aspects of the behaviour and physiology of sows in an electronic sow feeding system. Eight groups were introduced into
either a static or dynamic management system. Within an introduction group, 21 to 23 focal sows were selected based upon
their stage of gestation (pre vs. post-implantation), familiarity with groupmates (familiar vs. unfamiliar) and parity [young
(1st parity) vs. intermediate (2nd and 3rd parity) vs. old (4th parity and higher)]. The aggression at mixing, aggression at
the feeder, injuries, feeder entry order, lying patterns, and salivary cortisol concentrations were recorded. There were no
differences in the behaviour or physiology of sows housed in either housing management system, or based upon familiarity.
Sows mixed post-implantation were less aggressive (P=0.01), entered the feeding station later (P=0.03) and were
observed lying in the least preferred areas of the pen (P=0.001), than sows grouped within a few days of breeding. Older
sows were involved in more aggressive encounters (P=0.04), spent more time fighting at mixing (P=0.02), and lay against
the wall more (P<0.001) than did young sows, which tended to sustain more scratches (P=0.07), and ate later in the feed cycle (P<0.001). A dynamic management system is just as effective as a static management system when certain management criteria are met. Familiarity does not have an impact on the sows during gestation. Stage of gestation and parity should be considered along with the group dynamic as it can impact aggression and access to resources.

Effects of temperature stress on growth performance and bacon quality in grow-finish pigs housed at two densities

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This study was conducted to determine the effects of temperature and space allocation on growth performance and carcass characteristics. This is because managing stressors is essential for optimizing pig growth performance. The results show decreased growth, carcass lipid quality, as well as bacon quality when pigs were housed at temperatures above their thermoneutral zone (32.2¡ãC). It was also concluded that increasing spacial allocation for housing will improve the negative effects of temperature stress.

Effects of supplemental humic substances on growth performance, blood characteristics and meat quality in finishing pigs

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In recent years, it has been shown that humates added to the feed of poultry promote growth. However, supplementation has a feed additive in pig diets has not been well reported. Therefore, this research was carried out to determine the effect of Humic substances (HS) on growth performance, blood characteristics and meat quality in finishing pigs. This study did find that dietary supplementation with humic substances can improve growth performance, lymphocyte concentration and meat quality in finishing pigs.

Evaluating Animal Welfare with Choice Experiments: An Application to Swedish Pig Production

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The objective of this study is to evaluate animal welfare attributes and animal
friendly production standards in the Swedish pig production. These may be
attributable to the voluntary rules stipulated in ‘‘the Swedish model’’ or are practiced
experimentally. The willingness to pay (WTP) for animal welfare attributes among costumers that buy pork fillet is estimated by applying a random parameter logit (RPL) model. This model also allows
for individual ranking of WTP, which makes it possible to estimate the distribution
of WTP and hence detect its diversity.

The Relationship between Supply Chain Coordination and Quality Assurance Systems: A Case Study Approach on the German Meat Sector

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The quality assurance (QS) standard has achieved a widespread acceptance in the meat sector and already forms an
appropriate framework for safe production and efficient traceability. We have found empirical evidence that the company currently evolves from a classical certification standard owner to a supply chain coordinator. As central conclusions of our case study we can stress the following perspectives for the red meat sector in general, especially if QS further expands its scope of coordination. 1) more efficient and flexible response to market changes; 2)integration of heterogeneous IT, process and quality assurance standards 3)assurance of access to export markets and expansion of export opportunities 4) complete and efficient traceability across stages 5) creation of problem awareness and collective problem solving 6)reduction of opportunistic behavior; 7)improvement of food quality and safety; 8) professional PR and food crisis management; and 9) sustainable re-establishment of consumer trust.

Novelty causes elevated heart rate and immune changes in pigs exposed to handling, alleys, and ramps

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Economic losses related to the handling of pigs are well known throughout the industry (Tarrant, 1989). Handling effects on pig stress are complicated and few studies have quantified stress responses in common handling situations. In times of stress, the HPA (hypothalamic pituitaryadrena axis) axis is activated and glucocorticoids are released into the blood of the pig. Stress also causes changes in measures of the immune system (McGlone et al., 1993; Morrow-Tesch et al., 1994; Hicks et al., 1998; Salak-Johnson and McGlone, 2007). Alongside endocrine and immune responses to stress, stressed animals may undergo physiological changes such as increased heart and respiration rates that lead to an increase in body core temperature. Heart rate can be determined by use of telemetry to obtain undisturbed responses within experimental groups (Von Borell, 2001; Von Borell et al., 2007; Marchant-Forde et al., 2003a,b). The main hypothesis for this study was that when pigs are exposed to a novel environment they would have a higher heart rate and an overall stress response compared with those pigs that were habitualized with the environment. We also sought to determine if minimal training to remove novelty would reduce the stress experience for pigs destined for transport to slaughter. The ultimate goal is to reduce or eliminate stress-induced problems with pig losses during transportation and handling. Ten test subject pigs were selected per treatment. The first (trained) group was trained to navigate a course including a ramp. Testing was daily for seven days. Once training was completed, the trained and control (naïve) groups were exposed to a fixed course, the course and ramp (both up and down) while heart rates, time, handling difficulty, and blood were collected to determine the innate responses. It was concluded that heart rates of trained pigs were reduced significantly compared to naïve pigs travelling the same course. Both handling ease and handling time were significantly improved for the trained pigs compared to naïve pigs. Blood immune measures indicated reduced stress among trained pigs that had lower neutrophil numbers and lower total and average phagocytosis compared with naïve pigs. This study demonstrated that the exposure of pigs to a novel environment clearly causes a mild physiological response. Alleys and ramps do not inherently stress pigs, but rather novel experiences cause handling problems and a stress response and minimal training can reduce the stress experience for the pig.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

Survival of classical swine fever virus at various temperatures in faeces and urine derived from experimentally infected pigs

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Indirect transmission of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) can occur through contact with mechanical vectors, like clothing and footwear or transport vehicles, contaminated with the secretions or excretions of infected pigs. A prerequisite for indirect transmission is survival of the virus on the mechanical vector. Consequently, to obtain more insight into these transmission routes, it is important to know how long the virus remains viable outside the host. In this study we examined the survival of classical swine fever virus in faeces and urine derived from pigs intranasally inoculated with a highly or moderately virulent CSFV strain. Faeces and urine were collected between days 5 and 36 post-inoculation, and stored at 5, 12, 20, and 30 8C. Next, the virus titres were determined in the samples by virus titration, and a random selection of these samples was also analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRRT-PCR) to determine the viral RNA decay. Survival curves were generated, and it was shown that the inactivation rate was inversely related to the storage temperature. Average halflife values were between 2 and 4 days at 5 8C, and between 1 and 3 h at 30 8C. Significant differences were observed in survival between virus strains in faeces, however, not in urine. The reduction in viral RNA during the entire study period was limited. This
study provided detailed information on survival of CSFV in excretions of infected pigs, which can be used to improve control measures or risk-analysis models.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03781135

Relationship between serum acute phase protein concentrations and lesions in finishing pigs

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To establish the relationship between serum levels of three acute phase proteins, haptoglobin (Hp), C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA), and the occurrence and severity of lesions at slaughter, a study was carried out using 70 fattening pigs from a finishing unit. It was found that serum levels of CRP, SAA and Hp were significantly higher in pigs with clinical signs of disease than in apparently healthy animals. Additionally, in apparently healthy pigs, serum levels of Hp and CRP were significantly higher in animals with lesions than those without lesions. The extent and severity of lung lesions were related to serum levels of Hp.

For more information the full article can be found at  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10900233

Utilization of distillers dried grains with solubles and phytase in sow lactation diets to meet the phosphorus requirement of the sow and reduce fecal phosphorus concentration

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This study was completed to determine the potential for using distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in diets with or without phytase to provide available phosphorus, energy, and protein to highly productive lactating sows without increasing their fecal phosphorus. The results indicate that highly productive sows can sustain lactation performance with reduced fecal phytate phosphorus when fed DDGS and phytase in lactation diets.

Influence of dietary fiber on luminal environment and morphology in the small and large intestine of sows

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This study determined the effect of feeding different types of amounts of dietary fiber (DF) on luminal environment and morphology in the small and large intesting of sows. It was shown that there was an increased retention time, decreased amount of material, and a decreased tissue weight after feeding the low-fibre diet compared to the high-fibre diet. It was also concluded that feeding the diet providing the greatest amount of fermentable carbohydrates resulted in significant morphological changes in the colon compared with the low-fibre diet.