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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:
High Porcine Parvovirus Antibodies in Sow Herds: Prevalence and Associated Factors
Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2005 | No Comments
Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is widespread among swine. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of loosely housed sow herds in Finland with at least one animal with high (infection level) PPV antibodies and to gather basic knowledge about vaccination practices. In addition, selected factors
associated with high antibody levels found in sows were examined. Altogether, 247 animals were sampled in 21 randomly chosen loosely housed sow herds. Samples were analysed with the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. PPV proved to be common; in 17 farms (81%) at least one animal
had a high titre (>1 : 512), and 44% of all animals sampled had a high titre. The vaccination programmes had many shortcomings. In the generalised estimation equations (GEE) population-averaged model developed, the factors found to have a significant (p £ 0.05) effect on HI titres were herd size, parity of two or greater and storage of the vaccine vial after use. Non-returning rate, re-breeding interval and litter size did not differ between herds with no high HI titres (n ¼ 4) and
those with at least one high HI titre (n ¼ 17).
Comparison of Voluntary Feed Intake and Growth Performance between Grower Pigs Fed Diets Containing either Mustard Meal or Canola Meal
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Mustard meal might be a valuable ingredient for the swine industry domestically and internationally. In some export markets, concerns exist regarding the voluntary feed intake of pigs fed mustard instead of canola meal in their diets. This study will therefore compare two diets with either mustard meal or canola meal in the diet at a 15% inclusion rate for 28 days. This would be enough to assess if the feed intake concerns are indeed valid, or not and if growth performance differences exist. Pigs fed mustard meal tended to have a 5% better growth performance and had a 2.5%-unit better feed efficiency and an equal feed intake than pigs fed canola meal. Mustard meal might thus be a good opportunity ingredient with minimally a nutritional value equal as canola meal and might be a worthwhile opportunity ingredient to consider during periods of high prices for protein sources.
The Properties of Combined Horizontal Flows of Air and Farm Livestock Slurries in a Tubular Loop Aerator
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Pig slurries and dairy cattle slurries exhibit shear-thinning characteristics and therefore two-phase horizontal pipeline flows of water and slurries with air were studied in a novel Tubular Loop Aerator (TLA) to determine whether air injection could achieve shear-thinning effects, leading to reduced energy requirements. The TLA incorporated a pipeline of 402mm internal diameter which was 65m in length. It was found that the pressure gradients resulting from these two-phase flows were described satisfactorily by a correlation based on ratios of single- and two-phase pressure gradients. This technique enabled convenient comparison of the flow characteristics of slurries with different total solids (TS) concentrations at different air injection rates. Pig slurries containing up to 35% TS showed no reductions in pressure loss due to air injection, whereas cattle slurries of 2–3% TS produced some instances of pressure reduction. These reductions occurred at low superficial liquid flow velocity (05 m/s) and o2% (vol/vol) air injected, but the results did not provide statistically significant evidence of an energy-saving effect.
Streptococcus suis infection
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Technico-economical evaluation of the Polymair® heat-recovery air exchanger in a finisher hog unit on bedding and in a piglet nursery
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The energy performance of the Polymair® heat-recovery air exchanger has been evaluated in a finisher hog unit floored with bedding, and in a piglet nursery, in the winter of 2003-2004. Two Polymair® systems were installed in a room containing four pens, each containing around 25 pigs. The two systems delivered maximum flow rates of 0,52m3 and 0,62m3/s. During the first 50 days, only one Polymair® system was enough to ventilate the whole room. Afterwards, the two systems ensured a flow rate of 8-9 liters of air/second/pig, with a relative humidity of 80%. This kept the bedding in good condition, avoiding the need to add new one. The two systems maintained more than acceptable ambient CO2 and NH3 emissions, and an average thermal efficiency of 49%. They allowed annual savings of $1155 on energy (considering $0,35/l of propane) and of $1125 on bedding handling labour, for a total of $2280. The nursery experiment was performed in two nursery units of 160 heads each. One was equipped with a Polymair® system delivering 0,38m3 of air/second and the other, with conventional bottom air extraction. In these two small rooms, air infiltrations made the ventilation only operate in case of excessive heat. This prevented the searchers from observing the expected 60 to 70% energy savings. When installing such a system, preventing air infiltration is vital, starting with the installation of nonreturn valves in its cold and warm air ducts, and of a humidity probe triggering device.
HEAT TRANSFER MODEL FOR PLUG-FLOW ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS
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Recovery of phosphorous from swine wastewater through crystallization
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