Simulated potato yield, and crop and soil nitrogen dynamics under different organic nitrogen management strategies in The Netherlands

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

Chemical Extraction Methods to Assess Bioavailable Arsenic in Soil and Solid Media

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Green House Gases and Odour Control

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

Animal production units and manure storage structures are permanent sources of various gas emissions. The amount of organic matter in manure is substantial, and the decomposition of such organic matter can result in a number of gaseous by-products including acidifying gases (ex. NH3, CO2, N2O), toxic gases (ex. H2S) and offensive odours. Management and storage of manure actually contributes to green house gases (GHG). In fact, it has been estimated that production buildings are responsible for 50% of total GHG. However, the role of pork production in odour and GHG is becoming better understood. With increasing public concern regarding GHG, the Prairie Swine Centre is responding with up to date data and potential remedies. A current three year research program has been developed to demonstrate synthetic covers for earthen manure storage (EMS), reduction of GHG through diet manipulation, and installation and monitoring of shelter belt influence on air quality while making the findings available to the public.
A floating cover was installed on the two-cell EMS in July 2003. Fans were installed to provide a vacuum under the cover, sealing the plastic against the liquid. This in tern reduces the opportunity for odours or other gases to escape, while also increasing the value of manure as a fertilizer. Diet manipulation can be helpful to reduce additional emissions by incorporating current information on diet management. For example, substituting soybean meal with synthetic amino acids to reduce the available nitrogen in the urine and faeces. A shelterbelt will also be developed in summer 2004 to provide long term carbon sequestration on the site and disrupt air patterns to assist in odour dispersion from the site. Projects like this will allow pork producers easy access to promising technologies as well as valuable information on the cost and challenges of operating these best management practises.

Starch content and in vitro digestibility of barley and wheat samples differing in fibre content

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Starch content and in vitro starch digestibility were measured in three barely and three wheat samples differing in fibre content. Starch content was positively and fibre content was negatively related to DE content; however, in vitro starch digestibility indicated that starch was rapidly-degradable for all samples.

Effect of feather meal on live animal performance and carcass quality and composition of growing-finishing swine

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.