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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:
EFFECT OF MICROBIAL ADDITIVES COMBINED WITH AERATION ON REDUCTION OF NUTRIENTS IN SWINE MANURE
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2006 | No Comments
Co-composting solid swine manure with pine sawdust as organic substrate
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The effect of calcium on the anaerobic digestion treating swine wastewater
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John Patience Receives Award for Excellence in Nutrition and Meat Sciences
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Saskatoon – Dr. John Patience, President and CEO of Prairie Swine Centre recently received the Award for Excellence in Nutrition and Meat Sciences from the Canadian Society of Animal Science (C.S.A.S.).
The award recognizes excellence in teaching, research or technology transfer in the area of animal nutrition or meat science. The award is sponsored by the Shur-Gain Division of Maple Leaf Foods, and is presented at the annual meeting of the society.
John’s list of accomplishments in nutrition research include expanding our knowledge of amino acid and energy metabolism, of water quality and utilization, of understanding and capitalizing on the variability of common feed ingredients, and of the importance of dietary electrolyte balance. In the citation the Society recognized John’s other accomplishments:
Ø A popular speaker at industry and academic events having made more than 200 presentations in 8 Canadian provinces, 14 U.S. states, and 5 other countries
Ø Former President of the C.S.A.S., former Assistant Editor of the Canadian Journal of Animal Science, former member of the editorial board of the Journal of Animal Science
Ø A current or former director of the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan, Pharmalytics, Agwest Biotech, and SPI
Ø Co-founder of the Western Nutrition Council and the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium
“John’s contribution to important scientific issues is well recognized, but it is his focus on providing practical, application-oriented information that sets him apart in the industry” notes Bryan Perkins, of Perkins Family Farms, Wainwright, Alberta. “As Chairman of the Prairie Swine Center Board of Directors, and a pork producer, I have watched John build Prairie Swine Center into an internationally recognized scientific institution, that speak directly to industry needs.”
Prairie Swine Centre Inc., located in Saskatoon, is a non-profit research corporation affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan, and is recognized globally for its contributions to practical, applied science in pork production in the disciplines of Nutrition, Engineering and Animal Behaviour.
Space Allowance for Finishing Pigs Affects Productivity, Health and Behaviour
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Summary
The reduction in average daily gain due to reduced space allowance for pigs in both small and large groups occurs at a similar point as that previously reported in the literature (k = approximately 0.033 – 0.036 m2/BW(kg)0.667). Lameness was more common in the less spacious treatment during the final weeks of the study. Pigs in crowded conditions had fewer meals and less total time spent eating compared to the more spacious treatment. Space allowance can affect health and behaviour as well as productivity.
Introduction
Space allowance is an important consideration in finishing pig production as it has both economic and animal care implications. Producers must balance the efficiency of production while maintaining acceptable levels of animal care. Most studies on space allowance have been limited to the effects on animal productivity, and were designed to ‘stand alone’ and yield results specific to the conditions studied. In the case of space allowance, for which numerous studies have been published, it is possible to conduct an analysis of all of their results to obtain a more precise measure of the effects on productivity. We conducted such an analysis on previously published results on space allowance. We also conducted a study combining both space allowance and group size as a part of a larger series of studies on the effects of space allowance.
Experimental Procedure
We collected previously published material on the effects of space allowance on animal productivity. We restricted our analysis to average daily gain, feed intake and feed efficiency as these were consistently reported while few other variables were. We analysed the data on a relative basis, that is, the results of the more crowded treatments were expressed as a proportion of the least crowded treatment within each study. In this way we were able to control for housing conditions, general health, genotype and nutritional programs that differed among studies, but were consistent within each study. We expressed space allowance using the allometric equation Area = k * body weight0.667, which allowed us to use studies based on different final weights. To obtain a precise estimate of the point at which reduced space allowance results in a reduction in performance, we conducted a broken line analysis of the data.
We conducted a study on finishing pigs kept in either small (18 pigs/pen) or large (108 pigs/pen) per group, under two space allowances (0.52 vs 0.78 m2/pig; 5.6 vs 8.4 sqft/pig). Within group size we analysed production variables on a relative basis and applied a broken line analysis. We also examined the pigs for injuries and lameness, and observed their behaviour at 2-week intervals throughout the study. We limit our analysis of this study to the effects of space allowance for this article.
Results and Discussion
The data obtained from the literature resulted from studies in Canada, Europe and the United States (see Figure 1). Analysis of this data published identified the point at which space allowance began to reduce average daily gain as a ‘k’ value of 0.0336 m2/kg0.667. For a typical finishing barn with a target market of 115 kg, and making their first pull when 10% of their pigs reach this target, this ‘k’ value represents 0.72 m2/pig (7.75 sqft/pig). The space allowance per pig would differ if market weight or the 1st pull percentage varied from these levels. For every 1% reduction in space allowance below this level, average daily gain over the entire trial was reduced by an average of 0.33%. The same pattern was detected in the data on average daily feed intake. No effect of space allowance was seen for feed efficiency.
In our study we saw no significant difference in the effect of space allowance in the two group size treatments (Table 1). Average daily gain was reduced by crowding in both small and large groups. The broken line analysis indicated that average daily gain began to be depressed when space allowance fell below a k value of 0.036, slightly higher than the literature value. However, the difference would not be considered statistically significant. The key production result is that our average daily gain results identified a break point similar to previous studies.
In terms of health and injuries, the pigs in our less spacious treatment evidenced more lameness during the final weeks of the study. This is in agreement with our expectations that health problems associated with space allowance should only develop at the end of the study when pigs become more crowded. A second difference that we observed was that crowded pigs had fewer meals, of the same length as uncrowded pigs, and therefore less eating time. This pattern is that of an animal with a reduced appetite. In contrast, pigs in large groups, that had to travel further to eat, had fewer but longer meals, and maintained their total daily eating time. This ‘reduced appetite’ effect of crowding is supported by previous research indicating that crowded pigs will reduce their energy intake even if the feed is made more energy dense, which should have enabled the pigs to maintain daily nutrient intake if they wanted to.
Implications
Results obtained under conditions more typical of commercial production confirm that reductions in space allowance below a ‘k’ value of approximately 0.0336 m2/kg0.667 will reduce productivity. The effects of reduced space allowance may also be seen in health variables, such as lameness, but only near the end of the finishing period. The eating patterns of pigs in crowded conditions suggest a reduction in appetite rather than a simple restriction of feeder access.
Acknowledgements
Strategic program funding was provided by Sask Pork, Alberta Pork and Manitoba Pork. Specific project funding was provided by the National Pork Board (US), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
“The effects of reduced space allowance may be seen in both health and behaviour, as well as in productivity.”
Les effets de 5 ppm de Ractopamine dans les rations des porcs sur la performance de croissance et la qualité de carcasse.
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Le Paylean (un produit d’Elanco) est un additif alimentaire qui contient un ingrédient actif appelé ractopamine. Cet ingrédient augmente la croissance des muscles et diminue le dépôt de gras. Cette étude vise à déterminer exactement à quel point le Paylean améliore la performance. Il a été observé que les porcs traités avec le Paylean avaient un gain moyen quotidien de 13% de plus que les porcs qui n’ont pas été traités avec le Paylean. Comme les porcs traités avec la ractopamine n’ont consommé plus de moulée que ceux qui n’ont pas été traité, il a été conclu que les porcs traités ont subi une augmentation de 13% de leur conversion de alimentaire. Par conséquent, les porcs traités ont nécessité 11,3 kg de moins de moulée pour atteindre le poids d’abattage que ceux sans le traitement. Une diminution des effets a commencé au 28e jour du traitement, et les deux sexes ont répondu de façon similaire.
A Proactive Approach to Animal Welfare
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It is apparent that some very fundamental changes are taking place in Canada with how the industry approaches issues related to animal care. The first change is the extensive process of animal welfare audits that occurs at slaughter facilities (brought about by Wendy’s, Burger King, and McDonalds). This audit system is based on observable outcomes such as squeals, slips, falls, and blinking. From a processors perspective, audits have a number of purposes. These include the ensuring that standards are maintained or improved in some orderly manner, and that inadequate performance can be documented and corrected by a supplier. Most Canadian facilities easily met the standards and passed audits conducted by the food service firms. Some issues existed though, such as the use of electrical prods. Many facilities have made use of animal handling training programs in order to meet regulations. Audit results are often used as the basis for changes to procedures and facilities. Codes of Practice are a perfectly acceptable alternative in terms of how an industry can choose to set standards by which it operates. However, standards without external monitoring processes, verification, or audit are not credible.