Additive effects of L-carnitine and chromium picolinate on sow reproductive performance

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

The objective of this study was to compare carnitine and chromium on sow reproductive performance. In addition, a second objective was to determine if the responses to carnitine and chromium were additive. It was concluded that Supplementing gestation and lactation diets with added L-carnitine and chromium had minimal effects on
number of pigs born alive per litter; however, the improvement in farrowing rate observed during both
parities resulted in greater overall number of pigs born. These data suggest that improvements in reproductive
performance from the two nutrients may be additive. Additional research is needed to verify the biological mechanisms L-carnitine and chromium improve sow productivity.

Association of polymorphism in the alpha (1,2) fucosyltransferase gene with growth performance in two Western pig breeds in Taiwan

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This study was conducted
to investigate the genotypic frequencies and the
effects of M307 and RYR1 on the growth performance
of two major Western pig breeds of Taiwan. It was concluded that the present results suggest that allelic
frequencies of the favorable A allele of M307 in two
major Western pig breeds in Taiwan are higher than
those in European populations. While selection of the
favorable AA genotype at M307 for resistance to E. coli
F18 adhesion resistance may not affect growth performance
traits in Duroc and Landrace pigs, the effect of
RYR1 on growth performance should be monitored during
the selection process.

A Microbe that will dramatically reduce the effect of DON Mycotoxin on pigs

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Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin which can
occur when grains, such as corn, wheat and barley,
are infected with a fungus called fusarium. For swine, its
presence can result in feed refusals and the reduction of
weight gains. An animal trial conducted last year by researchers with
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the University
of Guelph proved that a microbe normally found in a chicken’s
gut will dramatically reduce the effect of DON on pigs.
The microbe is capable of transforming DON to a much less
toxic product.This year’s work will involve isolating the enzyme within
the microbe that is responsible for the transforming effect and researchers are in the final stages of
doing just that. Ting Zhou, an AAFC research scientist involved in the
project explains that an enzyme is a more stable element than a living microbe. Production and delivery of it
to the animals is also easier.

Intensive hog farming operations and self-reported health among nearby rural residents in Ottawa, Canada

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Higher yields and a cost savings with liquid manure

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Manure may be a cheaper alternative to high-priced commercial fertilizers, but management is the key to profit and crop performance. Jon Rausch, Ohio State University Extension environmental management program director, says that more Ohio farmers are turning to manure for corn production because of the higher prices of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. However, they face the challenge of proper nutrient utilization to maximize results. “When manure is treated like a nutrient resource, it can be a cost-effective asset to crop production,” he says. “To maximize manure’s value, it must replace other nutrient inputs and be placed where a crop response is expected. Adding nutrients above recommended levels would decrease its value and increase the potential of those nutrients being lost to the environment.” Existing nutrient levels in the soil, how much manure is applied, how well manure is spread, and how well soil nutrients are maintained with manure application are just some of the variables that can influence the value of manure as a fertilizer resource. Ohio State University Extension researchers are conducting studies that demonstrate how the value of manure, specifically from swine, depends upon the need for supplemental nutrients, proper manure handling and thorough application practices. Coming off several years of research which showed that applying swine manure to post-emergence corn produced comparable or higher yields to commercial urea, OSU Extension educators in Putnam and Hancock counties hope to find the same results in treating pre-emergence corn. Not only does manure add nutrient value to a crop, it also adds environmental benefits including micronutrients, organics and biologicals – those organisms that make up the ‘living soil’. Though difficult to quantify with direct economic value, manure has been shown to improve soil quality and soil health, increase organic matter content and build water-holding capacities, among other benefits. “When a farmer is looking at 60 cents per pound of commercial nitrogen as fertilizer, using manure not only for the nutrient value, but also for the secondary benefits, might be an alternative to consider,” suggests Rausch.

Odor and Aeration Efficiency Affected by Solids in Swine Manure During Post-Aeration Storage

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An extensive laboratory study followed by a limited field‐scale investigation was carried out in this project with
the goal of determining the relationship between manure solids levels and aeration times and rates as well as their effect on the length of odor‐free storage after the combined separation and aeration treatment. It turns out that in order to reduce aeration time and rates, the manure total solids content should not exceed 1%. In the field study it was found that with a 10 hp surface aerator, it would take about 83 and 74 days to reduce VFA and BOD to the respective levels, i.e., 230 and 171 mg L‐1, under which offensive odors are not supposed to be produced.

Eating Behaviour in Large Groups: Learning How Pigs Perceive Their Environment

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As we studied how finisher pigs perform in large groups we have also studied their eating behaviour. Our reasons for this extend beyond our interest in feed intake, to questions we have on how pigs perceive their environment and the impact that could have on our management. For example, when we first started working with larger groups, in this case 80 pigs in a pen, two theories existed for how pigs interacted with this large space. One theory was that to avoid unfamiliar pigs and aggression, the animals would restrict their movement to a limited area of the pen. We would call this a territory. We used 8 feeders in the pen of 80 pigs, and spaced these evenly along one of the long walls of the rectangular pen. Of 60 pigs that we observed, 80% visited all 8 of the feeders during a 24-hr period. All of the pigs ate from at least 6 of the feeders. This eating behaviour demonstrated that the pigs were not territorial, but used the entire pen. The implication was that resources, such as feed and water, did not have to be located throughout the pen, but could be concentrated, perhaps in a food-court.
We continued our studies with slightly larger groups (108 pigs/pen) but retained the spacing of feeders equidistantly along the length of the pen. The eating behaviour of pigs in large and small (18 pigs/pen) groups was remarkably similar with the exception of the first week after group formation. While pigs in large and small groups spent similar amounts of time eating during the first week, those in large groups visited feeders more often (35 times/day) than did those in small groups (25 times/day). As with the pigs in the previous study, the pigs in large groups were sampling many feeders each day. The first week after the groups were formed we saw both a reduction in average daily gain and an increase in feeder visits (but not total eating time) in large groups compared to small. We hypothesize that the need to investigate the entire pen during the first days in a large group led to many feeder visits, and contributed to a reduction in growth.
Moving on from our finding in the first study that pigs would use the entire pen, our next experimental set-up placed the feeders in the large group together near one end of the pen. Unlike the previous studies, pigs in the large group would have to travel farther from their lying area to the feeder than did the pigs in small groups. The eating behaviour of pigs in large groups changed. When the cost (effort) to get to a resource (feeder) increases, we would predict that animals would visit the resource less often, but the visits would be longer to compensate. This is what we saw in large groups. The pigs in large groups ate fewer (9.2 vs 11.7 meals/day) but longer meals (7.4 vs 5.3 min/meal), so that the total time spent eating in a day (60.4 vs 55.7 min/day) and total feed intake (2.78 vs 2.82 kg/day) were similar in large and small groups. In this same study we superimposed a crowded treatment (k = 0.025) on the group sizes. Crowded pigs also reduced the number of visits to the feeder each day, but they did not increase the length of their visits or maintain their total eating time and feed intake. The crowded pigs demonstrated a loss of appetite compared to the pigs in large groups, even though both conditions resulted in fewer meals.
Our studies on eating behaviour of pigs in large groups have demonstrated that pigs make use of the entire pen, visiting most if not all feeders regularly. The inquisitiveness leading to this extensive use of the pen is evident in a large number of feeder visits during the first week, and may contribute to poor initial growth in the system. When feeders are concentrated in one area of the pen, making it more difficult to get to a feeder, pigs in large groups reduce their number of meals, but compensate by having longer meals. The adaptability of pigs in large groups allows us to broaden the scope of our management options to include not only large groups, but also concentrated feeding areas within the pen.

Influence of extruded linseed on growth, carcass composition, and meat quality of slaughtered pigs at one hundred ten and one hundred sixty kilograms of liveweight

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The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of dietary extruded linseed, an n-3 PUFA on growth performance, carcass composition, meat quality, and oxidative stability of pigs slaughtered at 111 kg and 160 kg approximately. This was done because there has been much interest in ways to manipulate the fatty acid composition of meat as the Western diet is characterized by a high intake of SFA relative to PUFA, and the consumption of n-3 PUFA is decreased realtive to n-6 PUFA. This study shows that the inclusion of linseed in swine diets may in fact improve the fatty acid profile of pork without significantly affecting oxidation or color stability. Thus, this type of feeding practice may improve human health based on the n-6:n-3 PUFA ration recommended for the human diet.

How pigs are handled on the farm can affect meat quality

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Proper nutrition and proper on-farm handling affect
meat quality.
Those are two firm outcomes of a three-year study led
by Prof. Peter Purslow, acting Associate Dean (Research and
Innovation) for the Ontario Agricultural College and Professor,
Department of Food Science, University of Guelph.
The study, which will be completed this summer with a final
look at nutrition, included 648 slaughter pigs from 27 groups
of pigs representing a large number of commercial operations
and processing days, as well as some pigs from research farms.

Farm Animal Welfare and Quality Verification

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Existing empirical evidence suggests that farm animal welfare may not be a top-of-mind issue for many consumers in North America. Nevertheless, there is pressure from animal welfare groups on food retailers and processors to implement more stringent requirements for their suppliers. Is the demand for more stringent animal welfare protocols primarily determined by a subset of consumers with very strong preferences or by an underlying change in consumer and societal preferences? Who do consumers trust for credible quality assurances with respect to farm animal welfare attributes? This paper provides a basis for further analysis of these issues. The roles of different stakeholders in delivering farm animal welfare quality assurances to consumers are first discussed. Then a social welfare analysis of the Canadian market for animal friendly pork is presented under different scenarios with respect to the strength of consumer preferences and the existence of voluntary standards versus mandatory standards. The analysis suggests that a situation of voluntary labelling that is reasonably credible is desirable as it maximizes the welfare that accrues to all players on the market. Furthermore, this scenario allows heterogeneous consumers to choose between different combinations of price and quality according to their preferences. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research.