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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:
ENHANCED PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL FROM SWINE–NURSERY MANURE IN AERATED BATCH REACTORS
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2003 | No Comments
An Assessment Tool applied to Manure Management Systems using Innovative Technologies
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
Feeding Strategies to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pigs
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
Chemical Extraction Methods to Assess Bioavailable Arsenic in Soil and Solid Media
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
The Importance of Feed and Feeding the Lactating Sow
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Maintaining high levels of feed during lactation benefits both the current litter, subsequent letters as well as the sows overall productivity. Most problems arise in the first or second parity if the sow does not consume enough feed to meet energy requirements. If not enough feed is consumed milk production will decrease and body condition is lost as fat reserves are mobilized to synthesize milk. Loss of body fat can also compromise reproductive performance.
There are several management practises to help ensure sows are consuming enough feed during lactation to avoid weigh loss. Feeding levels and intake during gestation is unlikely to influence litter size unless feed intake is restricted significantly. The target for weight gain should be based on backfat thickness at time of weaning and her weight at weaning. All sows should have 18-20mm of backfat at time of farrowing and should be fed an extra 1kg/day at 100 days from breeding. Protein levels in the diet have shown to have an influence on feed intake as well as piglet weaning weight. For example, sows fed 12-14% CP consumed less than sows fed 16-18% CP. Several other factors have been shown to influence feed intake during lactation such as environment, number of daylight hours as well as the form in which the ration is fed. It is possible that the differences in sow productivity may be a result of feed and feeding programs over a sows reproductive lifetime.
Pre-planned segregation: The effect of grouping by weight at weaning on variability in body weight at nursery exit
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Variability in pig growth costs producers due to sort losses at marketing and reduced barn utilization. This experiment was designed to determine if pre-planned segregation (PPS), the separation of the total population of pigs into sub-groups expected to differ in performance, could improve barn utilization. A total of 2080 pigs, weaned over 8 weeks, were divided into groups based on weight at weaning. Segregation had no effect on variability of the entire group, or percentiles of the lightest or heaviest subsets of that group at d 50. Since it is expected that the rooms housing the heavier pigs would turn over more quickly, PPS could therefore be used to improve overall barn utilization.
Intersucking in dairy cattle – review and questionnaire.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Large round bale feeder design affects hay utilization and beef cow behavior.
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To reduce feed loss during feeding could improve efficiency of feed use, and enhance animal performance and well-being. The objectives of this study were to evaluated: 1) hay dry matter loss when feeding large round bales in cone, ring, trailer, and cradle-type feeders, 2) feeding behavior for each feeder design, and 3) the relationship between feeding behavior, feeder design, and feed loss. One hundred sixty beef cows were used to evaluate the quantity of hay loss and feeding behaviors from different round bale feeders. Twenty cows were allotted by weight and body condition score to one of eight pens with four feeder designs: cone, ring, trailer, or cradle. All feeder types provided 37 cm of linear feeder space per animal. Alfalfa and orchardgrass round bales were weighed and sampled before feeding. Hay that fell onto the concrete surrounding the feeder was considered waste and was collected and sampled daily. At the end of a 7-d period, each feeder type was assigned to a different pen for a second 7-d period. Behaviors, such as feeder access, occupancy rate, and occurrence of agonistic interactions were recorded. Dry matter hay waste was 3.5, 6.1, 11.4, and 14.6% for the cone, ring, trailer, and cradle feeders, respectively. Both agonistic interactions of cows around the feeders and frequency of feeder entrances differed among feeders and were correlated to feed losses. Feeder design features including size, geometry, bar angle and spacing, and inclusion of a tip bar may affect cattle behavior and resulting feed utilization. Implementation of design strategies that reduce agonistic interactions and /or reduce feeder entrances would be expected to reduce feed losses and improve well-being.