Influence of Treatment Techniques for Pig Slurry on Methane Emissions during Subsequent Storage

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2003 | No Comments

Modeling Ammonia Volatilization from Surface-Applied Swine Effluent

Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments

What is the proper stall size for gestating sows?

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments

Stalls remain the primary form of housing in North America. The Canadian code of practise states that stall sizes should increase as the sow increases in body weight. This study looked at the suitability of stall size by examining the relationships among sow size, stall width and sow behaviour. Four widths of gestation stalls were used to house four classes of females based on parity and body weight. It has been suggested that gestating sows be able to lie laterally without having their udder extend into the next stall. At week 3 and week 14 a 24-hour behavioural observation was conducted concerning animal posture and whether the udder extended into the next stall while lying laterally. It was found that in early gestation, week 3, gilts and small sows in 22 inch stalls spent less than 20% of the time with udders extended into the next stall while lying laterally. Medium and large sized sows spent 30% of the time with udders extended into the next stall. At week 14, gilts and small sows housed in 22 inch stalls spent 38%-49% of the time with their udders extended into the neighbouring stall. While following the criterion that udders should not extend into the next stall more than 30% of the time, the results from this study suggest that gilts and small sows be housed in 24 inch stalls and medium and large sows be housed in 26-28 inch stalls. If it is not an option for producers to install different stall sizes, it is suggested that a stall width of 65cm be used to accommodate all sizes of gestating gilts and sows.

Voluntary feed intake and growth performance between grower pigs fed diets containing mustard meal or canola meal

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments

A sample of either mustard meal (Brassica juncea) or regular canola meal was included at 15% in diets fed to grower pigs for 28 days. Pigs fed mustard meal tended to have a 5% better growth performance and had a 2.5%-unit better feed efficiency and an equal fee intake than pigs fed canola meal. Mustard meal might thus be a good opportunity ingredient with minimally a nutritional value equal as canola meal.

Salmonella on pig carcasses: positive pigs and cross contamination in the slaughterhouse

Posted in: Meat Quality by admin on | No Comments

Effect of a warm and flexible piglet nest heating system – the warm water bed – on piglet behaviour, live weight management and skin lesions.

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

This study tested a new heating system: a warm water bed for young piglets. The first part of the experiment was a preference test combining the water bed with either the micro-cellular mat, the heated plate, or straw litter. In the second part of the experiment, the water bed was compared to different heating systems (thermo-plastic plates, micro-cellular foam mats with gas infrared heating lamps, and fitted insulated concrete floor with gas infrared heating lamps) to determine differences in piglet live weights, weaning weights, and leg injury scores. Temperature of each heating system was the same at a height of 10 cm above the heated surface, but varied between 27.9 ºC to 33.9 ºC on the lying surface for each system. In all of the choice tests, piglets preferred the warm water bed more than the other heating systems. At 3-5 days of age, over half of the litter preferred to lie on the water bed for 63.6-76.8 % of the 24 hour observation period. Less than 1 % of the piglets used the reference system for lying during that same period. In the second part of the experiment, it was discovered that the water bed system reduced the frequency of piglets’ skin lesions as they got older compared with the frequency of skin lesions occurring on piglets housed on concrete flooring. It should be noted that the water bed did not prevent leg injuries, but did help heal them by providing flexible, non-abrasive surface to lie on. Average weaning weights for the warm water bed system (7.72 kg) and the concrete floor with gas heating system (7.26 kg) were also significantly different. Piglets with fewer leg injuries were found to have higher weaning weights. This study showed that piglets prefer to lie on a soft, flexible material like the warm water bed. The warm water bed was shown to improve live weight development and weaning weights of piglets when compared with piglets housed on concrete flooring. Differences between the water bed and the other systems analyzed were not statistically significant.

Identification of quantitative trait loci for receiving pecks in young and adult laying hens.

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

Feather pecking (FP) is a major problem in cage and free-range housing systems. In free-range systems FP is more difficult to control. Legislation concerning animal welfare is becoming more strict in the European Union and this has resulted in more free-range housing systems. It is not known why victim is being pecked. It could be that a bird is genetically predisposed to be pecked. To study the genetics of FP behaviour, a large F2 population of 630 hens was generated from a cross between two commercial laying lines differing in their propensity to feather peck. Traits such as receiving gentle FP, receiving severe FP, and receiving aggressive pecking were measured at 6 and 30 wk of age. Furthermore, receiving toe pecking (TP) was measured at 30 wk of age. A significant Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) on GGA1 and three different suggestive QTL were identified on GGA2, GGA6, and GGA7 for receiving gentle FP at 6 wk. For receiving gentle FP at 30 wk of age, a suggestive QTL on GGA5 was detected. For receiving aggressive pecking, a suggestive QTL was detected on GGA3. For receiving TP, three suggestive QTL were detected on GGA1, GGA5, and GGA23, respectively. The different QTL detected for receiving gentle FP at different ages indicate that this trait is regulated by different genes in young and adult hens.

The effect of abrupt weaning of suckler calves on the plasma concentrations of cortisol, catecholamines, leukocytes, acute-phase proteins and in vitro interferon-gamma production.

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

Social group disruption and maternal separation result when calves are abruptly weaned. This study evaluated the effects of these stressors on the physiology of the calves. Calves were either abruptly weaned or not. Plasma cortisol concentration and neutrophil:lymphocyte concentrations increased and leukocyte concentration and immune response decreased for calves that had experienced social disruption. The behavioural response to handling did not change as a result of weaning or sex. There was an interaction between weaning and sex and time and sex on plasma noradrenaline concentration. Male calves showed an increase at weaning and each sampling time after, but heifers did not show an increase due to weaning. Leukocyte concentration was not affected by weaning or sex. Following weaning, the neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio increased, and this was affected by sex. Immune response was weakened due to weaning. The alterations in physiological responses indicate that abruptly weaning suckler calves makes them sensitive to stress associated with social disruption and weaning. Some of the physiological effects of the stress were still apparent a week after weaning. Therefore, efforts should be made to reduce social stress, and allow the calves time to adjust before imposing other management stressors.

Economic weights for feed intake in the growing pig derived from a growth model and an economic model

Posted in: Economics by admin on | No Comments

The aim of this paper is to derive economic weights for parameters of the Technisen Model Varkersvoeding (TMV) growth model, in particular for feed intake and to illustrate the effects of different levels in these parameters on performance traits and economic weights for parameters of the growth model. It is found that economic weights for parameters of the growth model depend on the level of feed intake in relation to the optimum feed intake, while conventional breeding objectives always put a negative economic weight on feed intake. Advances in performance recording procedures to obtain information necessary to implement growth models into breeding programs are required. Electronic feeders that are able to control the level of feed intake for individual pigs together with electronic
scales and video images allow recording of the information necessary to implement growth models in genetic
evaluation systems.

Quantitative analysis of acid-base balance in Bos indicus steers subjected to transportation of long duration.

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

Transport stress has led to live weight loss and greater carcass loss, whereas it is also accepted that animals dehydrate with increasing transit time. Management strategies for dealing with problems caused by transport stress have included rest periods during and after transport, the use of supplemental potassium and the use of electrolyte solutions. However there is lack of information pertaining to the effects of transport stress on the acid-base physiology of ruminants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of transportation and/or feed and water deprivation on acid-base balance of Bos indicus steers. Steers were evaluated in three experimental groups. The control group received ad libitum access to feed and water. The second group was deprived of feed and water for 60 hours. The third group was transported for 48 hr following withdrawal of feed and water for 12 hours. Blood gases, electrolytes, lactate, total protein, albumin, anion gap, strong ion difference, and total weak acids were determined at the conclusion of transportation. It is concluded from the results of this study that Bos indicus steers transported for 48 h are able to maintain their acid-base balance within normal values. The primary challenge to these animals seems to be the elevation of total weak acids via an increase in plasma albumin concentration as a result of dehydration. The loss of electrolytes had little effect on the acid-base balance of the animals.