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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:
Profitable Use of Ractopamine in Hog Production – Economic Evaluation Using a Pig Growth Model
Posted in: Economics by admin on January 1, 2002 | No Comments
Recently, a pig growth model has been developed, that incorporates the impact of RAC on pig compositional growth and nutritional requirements. The objective of this research was to utilize the compositional pig growth model to evaluate the economically optimal use of RAC with different marketing systems. The study confirms that under present economic conditions, the feeding of RAC is profitable to pork producers. The highest return from the use of RAC will accrue to producers with a better growth environment and those using a 3-diet, phase-feeding program after 154 lbs live weight.
Part of the additional profit due to the use of RAC comes from faster growth rate and less days on feed. As the payment for leanness increases, the return to RAC use also increases.
Greater payment for lean versus fat tissue results in higher optimal RAC concentrations being fed
for longer durations, given the same economic conditions.
Iron Deficiency in Outdoor Pig Production
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It has been claimed that outdoor-reared suckling piglets do not need iron supplementation. According to practical experience, outdoor-reared and non-iron-supplemented piglets show a lower performance in comparison with their iron-supplemented counterparts. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of iron supplementation on outdoor reared suckling piglets. In a large Hungarian outdoor pig production unit, 4691 piglets were assigned to one of two treatment groups. Piglets in group 1 (n ¼ 2344): received no iron supplementation, whereas piglets in group 2 (n ¼ 2347)
were intramuscularly injected in the neck on day 3 postpartum with 1.5 ml of Ferriphor 10% solution (TAD Pharmaceutical GmbH, Bremerhaven, Germany). Animal weights, morbidity, haemoglobin concentration and mortality were recorded and analysed. At weaning the iron-injected piglets were significantly (P<0.05) heavier. The iron-supplemented piglets also revealed significantly (P<0.01) less preweaning
morbidity and mortality and higher (P<0.01) blood haemoglobin concentration compared with the non-injected ones. This study suggests that in order to prevent pre-weaning losses and support piglet health and weight performance, iron supplementation should be administered to piglets in outdoor
pig production units.
Producing Pork Without Antibiotic Growth Promoters: The Danish Experience
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On January 1st, 2000, antibiotic growth promoters were removed from animal production in Denmark. Antibiotics were only to be used for therapeutic purposes. The effect on finisher pigs has been fairly unproblematic in the majority of the herds. The effects on weaner pigs has been significantly negative, with increased post-weaning diarrhoea, increased infections, increased nutritional overload, and reduced utilization of nutrients in the feed. Many herds find it necessary to apply medicine for treatment of diarrhoea in young stock, resulting in an increased consumption of therapeutic antibiotics. Increasing management and nutrition is aiming to reduce these problems without the use of medicines. Management practices include health promoting housing systems, reducing overcrowding, decreasing batch sizes, good ventilation and temperature, and higher weaning weight. Nutritional practices include restrictive feeding (during the first 14 days post-weaning), additives (such as acidifiers), protective diets (low protein, high animal protein, high barley, organic acid product), and fermented liquid feed (increase acid content in stomach to kill harmful bacteria).
Choice of statistical model for estimating genetic parameters using restricted maximum likelihood in swine
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Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) was used to determine the choice of statistical model, additive
genetic maternal and common litter effects and consequences of ignoring these effects on estimates of
variance–covariance components under random and phenotypic selection in swine using computer
simulation. Two closed herds of different size and two traits, (i) pre-weaning average daily gain and (ii) litter size at birth, were considered. Three levels of additive direct and maternal genetic correlations (rdm) were assumed to each trait. Four mixed models (denoted as GRM1 through GRM4) were used to generate data sets. Model GRM1 included only additive direct genetic effects, GRM2 included only additive direct genetic and common litter effects, GRM3 included only additive direct and maternal genetic effects and GRM4 included all the random effects. Four mixed animal models (defined as EPM1 through EPM4) were defined for estimating genetic parameters similar to GRM. Data from
each GRM were fitted with EPM1 through EPM4. The largest biased estimates of additive genetic
variance were obtained when EPM1 was fitted to data generated assuming the presence of either
additive maternal genetic, common litter effects or a combination thereof. The bias of estimated
additive direct genetic variance (VAd) increased and those of recidual variance (VE) decreased with an
increase in level of rdm when GRM3 was used. EPM1, EPM2 and EPM3 resulted in biased estimation
of the direct genetic variances. EPM4 was the most accurate in each GRM. Phenotypic selection
substantially increased bias of estimated additive direct genetic effect and its mean square error in trait 1, but decreased those in trait 2 when ignored in the statistical model. For trait 2, estimates under phenotypic selection were more biased than those under random selection. It was concluded that
statistical models for estimating variance components should include all random effects considered to
avoid bias.
Reducing Piglet Mortality with Oxygen & Heat
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Mortality in the first day of life of newborn piglets is often excessive because of asphyxia and cold stress. Even when weak piglets survive through day one of life, many die on day two or three because they are either unable to suckle and/or are crushed during this energy deficient period. For simulating practical farm conditions, this experiment was designed to observe the effects of administering energy and immunity products along with supplemental oxygen and heat to reduce mortality during the first seven days of life. The results from this experiment confirm that heat or oxygen can save small piglets, piglet daily mortality can meet and exceed the less than 1% target by using oxygen inhalation and oxygen inhalation by newborn piglets is the most effective means for improving piglet survival. Administered colostrum also improved piglet survival and can be very effective when combined with oxygen or heat to reduce mortality between days two and seven. However, oxygen administration needs to be done within a short period after birth and thus may put a time burden on the staff within the farrowing unit. This study suggest that an additional heat lamp positioned at the rear of the sow during farrowing and supplemental colostrum on day one are a very practical and economic means for saving small piglets on all Canadian pork producing units, especially where large litter sizes are prevalent and light piglets are common.
Microbial Phytase Combined with Amino Acid Supplementation Reduces P and N Excretion of Growing and Finishing Pigs Without Loss of Performance
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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combined low-protein (CP) low-phosphorus (P) diet, supplemented with limiting amino acids and microbial phytase, on performance, nutrient utilization and carcass assessment of grower-finisher barrows. 4 x 6 crossbreed barrows were continuously housed in metabolism cages from 25 to 100 kg live weight and were fed diets, either conventional according to recent nutrient recommendations (A) or protein reduced (B) or protein and phosphorus reduced diets (C) based on barley (59-80%), maize (15%) and soybean meal (23-2%). Diet A (positive control) contained in fresh matter 18.5%, 15.6% and 13.6% CP and 0.59%, 0.51%, 0.50% P (growth phases I: 25-50 kg, II: 50-75 kg, III: 75-100 kg weight). Diet B was low in CP (14.2%, 13.4%, 11.0%), diet C low in CP and low in P (CP: as B, P: 0.46%, 0.41%, 0.32%). Diet D served as a negative control (CP and P as C). To diet B the limiting amino acids lysine, methionine, threonine and trypthophan were added to meet the levels in diet A, to diet C the limiting amino acids and 800 FTU Aspergillus-phytase per kg were supplemented. At the end of the balance periods of about 100 (A,B,C) or 133 (D) days, the barrows were slaughtered at 100 kg live weight, the carcasses scored and loin, biceps femoris, os femoris and phalanx prima IV were analysed for their nutrient (dry matter, protein, fat) or mineral (ash, Ca, P, Mg, Fe, Zn) composition. In contrast to the basal diet D, the CP or P reduction in diets B and C did not negatively affect growth, feed efficiency, nitrogen retention or overall carcass performances of the pigs. With the low CP diets B and C, N excretion via the urine was significantly reduced and thus N excretion per unit weight gain was decreased by about 30%. The addition of microbial phytase (C) increased apparent digestibility of P significantly between 25% (growth phase III) and 50% (growth phase II). In spite of 25% reduction of P intake (C), the absolute daily P retention did not differ between treatments. Thus phytase supplementation in diet C reduced P excretion per unit weight gain by about 35% (I, II) to 44% (III) as compared with A and B. Similarly, phytase raised apparent digestibility of Ca by about 25% and Zn by about 80%. Generally, the carcass and meat characteristics were not affected by any of the diet strategies employed in this experiment. Mineralization (bone weight, ash, Ca, P, Mg) of the os femoris and phalanx prima IV were also similar in all treatment groups. However, phytase supplementation led to significantly increased zinc concentration in bones, indicating considerably improved zinc release from the phytate complex. In contrast, Fe incorporation into the os femoris was significantly reduced in the phytase group. In general, the low CP and low P feeding regimen introduced in this experiment offers substantial benefits in maintaining a sustainable environmentally-friendly pork production.
Compost Airflow Resistance
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Four bulking agents, pine shavings, mixed (long and chopped) grass hay, chopped grass hay and long (whole) wheat straw, were each mixed with pig slurry and tap water to obtain three moisture contents (MC) of 60, 65 and 70%. Quadruplets of each treatment were placed in laboratory composting vessels with a capacity of 105 l and a composting depth of 095 m. Using the air plenum at the bottom of each vessel, air was forced at apparent velocities of 0a