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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:
Social discrimination and aggression by laying hens in large groups: from peck orders to social tolerance.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on January 1, 2003 | No Comments
Laying hens kept in small groups exhibit social behaviour similar to that of their wild ancestors, red jungle fowl, with a dominance hierarchy which is most likely based on establishment fights. In larger groups this system is thought to break-down, and hens may adapt to the new environment with a different social strategy. The present study tested the ability of laying hens living in groups of 10 and 120 to discriminate flockmates from unfamiliar birds. Subjects were presented in test cages with vertical bars, positioned outside the home pens in one of two places. Sixteen subject hens from each group size were presented to their home group (familiar) and a different group of the same size (unfamiliar). Hens in small groups discriminated between familiar and unfamiliar subjects by showing more aggression towards unfamiliar hens. In large groups, the overall level of aggression towards subjects was reduced in that attempted fights were rare, and aggressive outcomes were no different in response to unfamiliar or familiar hens. Certain individual hens in large groups were more likely to approach the subjects showing no evidence that hens have limited ‘territories’ within the pen. Those birds approach and aggressive towards the subjects in large groups were heavier and had larger combs than the subjects. These findings are consistent with idea that in large groups hens become less aggressive and may change their social system to one where dominance is determined through direct assessment and ‘status signalling’ rather than the remembered individual assessment of a small group pecking order.
The effects of feeding method, milk allowance and social factors on milk feeding behaviour and cross-sucking in group housed dairy calves.
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This is a review of factors affecting cross-sucking in group housed calves. Evidence is presented to indicate that cross-sucking is a re-direction of normal sucking behaviour. It is primarily seen when calves are fed milk or milk replacer rather than being allowed to suckle their mother. Prolonging the milk meal by reducing the flow rate (orifice size) in teat buckets reduces the problem of cross-sucking, as does leaving the buckets in the pen after the meal is ended. In large groups of calves, fed via computerized milk feeders, a protective stall for the calf that is drinking is helpful to reduce cross-sucking directed toward the drinking calf. However, both means of reducing cross-sucking in such conditions, reducing flow rate and protecting the drinking calf, reduce the number of calves that can be fed from a feeding station. Additional work is needed on determining the appropriate number of calves that can be fed from a computer controlled station while keeping cross-sucking within an acceptable level.
An empirical analysis of the demand for wholesale pork primals: Seasonality and Structural Change
Posted in: Economics by admin on | No Comments
This study focuses on estimating wholesale pork primal demand relationships in order to determine their own quantity flexibilities, whether these flexibilities have changed over time, and seasonal price fluctuation. A set of equations for pork loin, rib, butt, ham, pork belly, and picnic primals was estimated. Monthly data over an 11-year period were used to determine that their own-quantity flexibilities varied across months, that they increased in absolute value over time for some primal cuts, and cold storage stocks were used as an inventory control measure to reduce price variation for some primal cuts.
Fenceline contact of beef calves with their dams at weaning reduces the negative effects of separation on behavior and growth rate.
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Artificial early weaning in mammals is typically accompanied by physical separation of mother and young, termination of milk feeding, and often a change in solid feeds and living environment. These changes can result in both behavioral and physiological indices of distress in cattle. The purpose of this study was to examine the hypothesis that fenceline contact between beef calves and cows at weaning reduces indices of behavioral distress and associated temporary reductions in weight gain. One hundred Angus/Hereford-cross calves were randomly assigned to five treatments for 7 d in each of 3 yr to determine the effect of different weaning techniques on their behavior and subsequent growth. Treatments were 1) fenceline separation from dams on pasture (F-P), 2) total separation from dams on pasture (S-P), 3) total separation from dams in a drylot (corral) preconditioned to hay (S-D-P), 4) total separation from dams in a drylot not preconditioned to hay (S-D-NP), 5) nonweaned controls on pasture (Control). At the end of the 7-d postweaning period, all calves were placed on pasture in large groups. Calves were weighed weekly for 10 wk. In the days following weaning, F-P and Control calves spent more time eating than other calves. The F-P calves vocalized less than S-P and S-D-NP calves. The S-P calves spent less time lying down than F-P, Control and S-D-P calves. The F-P calves spent approximately 60% of their time within 3 m of the fence separating them from their dams during the first 2 d following weaning, whereas F-P cows spent about 40% of their time within 3 m of the fence during this period. Postweaning cumulative body weight gains of the F-P calves were greater than the gains recorded for the calves in the three totally separated treatments. The F-P calves gained 95% more weight than the average calf in the three totally separated treatements in the first 2 wk and were still heavier at 10 wk. It was concluded that providing fenceline contact between beef calves and cows for 7 d following weaning reduces behavioral indices of distress seen in the totally separated calves. In addition, fenceline contact with dams at weaning minimizes losses in weight gain in the days following separation. Totally separated calves did not compensate for these early losses in weight gain even after 10 wk.
Evaluating a concept for an animal welfare assessment system providing decision support using qualitative interviews
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Animal welfare assessment systems (AWAS) have been recently been introduced in various versions and with different aims throughout many farming systems in many countries. Qualitative interviews of farmers were carried out as part of a project focusing on developing AWAS in dairy, pig and mink production systems (26 farms in total). The aim of the interviews was to investigate the farmers’ perceptions and experience of how an AWAS worked, and to explore their expectations for future use of AWASs. All interviews were taped, transcribed and analysed using a grounded-theory approach. The importance of different elements of the AWAS differed between farmers and the AWAS project implementation group. More direct associations between welfare assessment and production results (and other ‘common measures’) were requested by farmers. The whole AWAS package was viewed as being too complex and expensive for most farmers, particularly as it involved multiple assessments over time. A range of themes emerged from the analysis. One of these, here referred to as ‘us and them’, is explored and discussed in this paper. Farmers were concerned that the AWAS could be used negatively in relation to consumers and political decisions, and they underlined that if the AWAS was to be used a decision support tool (ie a system to assist them in making decisions about improvements in their herds and to guide their initiatives and improvements), it should include dialogue and details of local farm conditions. Qualitative interviews were found to provide valuable insight into farmers’ perceptions and expectations of animal welfare assessment methods.
Panel Presentation: Managing The Nursery
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Nursery is a critical time in a piglet’s life. Several areas need to be managed to see success carry through. Rooms should be prepared (repairs, feeder setup, etc.) and washed thoroughly between batches of pigs. Pigs should be weaned as heavy as possible and safe weaning procedures should be followed as to not injure the pig. Once the pigs arrive in the nursery they should be separated based on size. Adequate heating and ventilation are required to control chilling and disease. Several different rations can be used depending on individual farms’ length of nursery and stage of nursery. Good pre-nursery management can minimize disease, but monitoring of health is still essential. Veterinarians can be called in if a serious problem arises. All treatments should be recorded on a quality-monitoring sheet. Communication is essential so that staff in all areas of the barn can keep up with what is going on in the nursery and what will be going on in the finisher.
Water Usage and Manure Production Rates in Today’s Pig Industry
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An accurate account of water use is important in today’s expanding hog industry. This will indicate the size of wells and manure storages that are required. Data from nine similar farrow-to-finish operations were collected, and it was found that total water use for all phases averaged about 89.5 L/sow/day, 80% is used for drinking, total water for different types of operations were in general agreement of the guidelines, and more. The highest per head usage was in the farrowing phase, and then gestation, grow-finish, and nursery. The grow-finish phase had the highest percentage of total herd usage, followed by gestation, nursery, and farrowing. Daily manure production was the most in farrowing, then gestation, grow-finish, and nursery. Grow-finish had the highest percentage of total herd production, followed by gestation, nursery, and farrowing.
Antibiotic in swine diets: where have we been? Part I
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The concern for the swine industry is that antibiotic usage, particularly sub-therapeutic use, is contributing, directly or indirectly, to antibiotic resistance in human medicine. One of the issues with antibiotic usage is that it has a nutritional benefit other than combating specific pathogens and any alternative to antibiotic usage has to take these other effects into account. The common theory is that intestinal bacteria, whether harmful or not, depress animal growth, either directly or indirectly, through their metabolic activities. Perhaps the best support of this hypothesis is the observation that oral antibiotics do not enhance growth in germfree animals, while inoculating germfree animals with gastro-intestinal (GI) bacteria depresses growth. A clear difference between germfree and conventional animals is a thinner wall of the small intestine. The rate of renewal of the cells that line the GI tract is slower in germfree animals, which may have a beneficial effect on base energy expenditure and the efficiency of nutrient utilization. These observations are consistent with the view that in rapidly growing young animals, the GI tract and skeletal muscle draw from the same limited supply of nutrients and, in effect, compete for nutrients. Antibiotics do not simply act on microorganisms but may be involved in immune system function as well. Phagocytes (cells of the immune system that “eat” pathogens) are a major component of the immune system. These cells are involved in both host defenses and various pathological settings characterized by excessive inflammation. Accordingly, they are key targets for immuno-modulatory drugs, among which antibacterial agents are promising candidates. In addition the microbiota of the digestive tract has a direct impact on host immune cells. Alternatives to antibiotics MUST ultimately focus on the gut microbiota of the pig gut. These alternatives included prebiotics, probiotics, dietary acids, various fractions of the grain and oil seed processing industry, as well as vaccination. Each of these topics will be dealt with in detail in a future article.