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Industry Partners
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:
Supplementing Pig Diets with Organic Zinc
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2003 | No Comments
In the swine industry, inorganic zinc is commonly fed in high concentrations to nursery pigs to enhance their growth performance and to prevent diarrhea. This results in large amounts of the nutrient in the manure. When spread on fields it can build up faster than crops can use it, can cause nutrient pollution and water quality concerns. A study was done to determine if lower levels of a commercially available organic zinc-polysaccharide supplement would provide growth performance similar to the inorganic zinc typically fed to pigs. The results show that organic zinc supplements can be fed at rates almost 7 times less than inorganic zinc and still maintain pig growth performance and this could also reduce zinc levels in manure by 76%.
This benefit is not without cost as the organic zinc-polysaccharide costs four times as much per pound as the inorganic zinc. However, since less is rationed out, the additional cost is only 9 cents/pig. For large producers already struggling with nutrient issues, feeding pigs organic zinc could be part of an overall nutrient management plan. It is believed that it is only a matter of time before the Environmental Protection Agency begins to regulate zinc and other micronutrients along with nitrogen and phosphorus.
The next step is to identify the molecular pathways in the pig intestines that are responsible for the differences in organic and inorganic zinc uptake. Learning more about these pathways could further improve utilization of zinc, copper and iron, and lessen potential environmental impacts.
Site-specific Application of Fertilizer N for reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
The Lack of Science in Kyoto: A Solution for a Non-Existent Problem
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
The Kyoto Protocol is a political solution to a non-existent problem without scientific justification. In the late 1980s, the global temperature appeared to be increasing. This brought a concern to the public and “global warming” quickly became an unsupported fact. Some scientists think that it is the carbon dioxide that is warming the earth while some think it is changes in the sun that are creating this increase. The problems with the global warming theory involve work by scientists that have consistently been proven incorrect, inaccurate computer simulations of the environment, and false facts (such as the earth’s atmosphere working as a greenhouse; this is an inappropriate analogy). Rather than the Age of Information, Age of Speculation would be more fitting. Y2K is an example of a speculation that became concern and caused the government to needlessly spend a lot of money on it. Global warming is following the same trend that global cooling followed from 1940 to 1980 where they predicted an ice age eventually. Global flooding is the concern with the ice caps melting. However, how do scientists know that the ice doesn’t displace the same amount of volume as melted water? There may be no change in sea level whatsoever. The panic of ice shelves breaking apart should not be so concerning; it is what ice shelves do! Computer modeling systems are highly inaccurate in both prediction and overall understanding of climate. Whatever the exact figures, human contribution of CO2 is minimal when the entire environment is taken into account. The earth has warmed throughout history (i.e. – North America melted some 20,000 years ago), and it can be safe to assume that this was not due to human-contributed CO2. The media has had its part in increasing concern. They tend to take the theory and distribute it to the public as a solid prediction of what will happen.
Practical Aspects of On-Farm A.I.
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
During the last decade, the use of Artificial Insemination (AI) has become common as producers wish to realize the benefits of AI within their herds. Among others, these benefits include the use of genetically superior boars, a reduction in disease transmission and lowered boar housing costs.
Careful attention to detail is required to successfully use AI in a production system. A successful AI program depends on effective heat detection, proper hygiene, correct handling and storage of insemination doses, and proper insemination technique.
Listed below are a few areas that can be trouble spots for a swine AI program and should be monitored closely.
Digestible energy content of low quality barley fed to pigs
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Current equations may not estimate the digestible energy (DE) content of low quality barley. In this experiment, equations were developed using barley’s chemical and physical characteristics to accurately predict the DE content of low quality barley. The best equation explained up to 6% of the variation in barley DE content.
The effects of previous grazing experience and ewe presence on the response to novel grass species by weaned lambs.
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The effects of grazing experience and presence of adult ewes on the response of lambs to introduction of a novel grass species was examined. Lambs had either been artificially reared indoors or were at pasture with their mothers until they were weaned at 3 months of age, at which time five dry, adult ewes joined them. Grazing occurred in sequence, beginning with one, two, three, and then four grass species in four 1-week periods. Grass species were perennial ryegrass, then timothy, then cocksfoot, and finally red fescue. The total time that lambs spent grazing and ruminating increased by grazing experience and somewhat by the presence of the adult ewes. Grazing experience, and to a lesser extent, the presence of adult ewes, also increased the pasture biting rate (number of bites per minute). There was a compounded effect of grazing experience and presence of adult ewes as well. The most preferred species of grass was timothy, followed by perennial ryegrass. The lambs spent the least amount of time grazing red fescue. The time spent grazing cocksfoot and red fescue was increased by grazing experience, but the presence of adult ewes did not increase the time that the lambs spent grazing novel species. The pasture biting rate was higher for grass species that lambs preferred to graze. Neither experience nor presence of adult ewes increased the biting rate on novel species in the period of their introduction. Although both grazing experience and presence of adult ewes increased the total amount of time spent grazing and the pasture biting rate, only grazing experience increased the acceptability of novel species.
An evaluation of response to novelty as a predictor of pecking tendency in laying hens.
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Selective breeding against feather pecking in laying hens depends on identification of individual birds with the lowest feather pecking activity. If certain behavioural traits are phenotypically and genetically associated with, or predictive of, feather pecking activity then tests for those traits may offer a quicker method of identifying suitable parent birds. In a previous study, pairs of pullets that pecked most frequently at a feather bundle also avoided a novel object in a separate test. In the present study, 319 Brown pullets were tested with a novel object at 7-9 weeks of age to determine whether response to novelty predicted either pecking at feather bundles presented in two different ways (loose or fixed) at both 11-13 and 25-27 weeks of age, or feather pecking in the home pen between 15 and 33 weeks of age. Response to novelty did not predict pecking at feather bundles. There were no associations between the amount of pecking directed towards different types of feather bundle, or between pecking at feather bundles and pecking at the feathers of live birds. Response to novelty also failed to predict tendency to feather peck, although recorded levels of feather pecking, especially severe feather pecking, were relatively low. However, when birds with a varied range of responses to a novel object were housed together, more of the birds feather pecked (P < 0.05), they feather pecked more consistently (P < 0.05) and showed more pecking at the environment in a test than birds with similar responses to novelty.