Handling Pigs for Optimum Performance on the Farm and in the Slaughter Plant

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Genetics plays a role in swine behavior. There are certain genetic lines of pigs that have extreme bulging hams which can lead to broken bones at kill time and damaged meat. Simply walking the finisher pens each day for 10 to 15 seconds reduces the stress and in turn the damage at time of slaughter. What this does is makes the pigs not too panicked at slaughter but also not so tame that they are difficult to move. 12 steps are offered for quality handling of finisher pigs which address moving, grouping, and transport to minimize death losses and damage from fighting. 6 steps are offered for packer plants to reduce the stress on the pigs and reduce the risk of quality reduction (these steps include low-stress handling and environmental concerns). Genetic companies should be looking at selecting for low-stress animals.

PSE (pale, soft, and exudative) pork is the result of genetics, producers, and packers. PSE can be reduced by using quality genetics, transporting longer distances (if possible), and fasting pigs 12 to 24 hours prior to slaughter. Using genetics to eliminate the stress gene (especially in confinement facilities) will allow for easier single file movement to slaughter in the packing plant and also reduce excitability, which can cause meat damage. Environmental stimulation in the finisher barn such as toys or a radio can help adapt pigs to sudden noises and therefore reduce stress. 9 points are given for packers to reduce the incidence of PSE, which include handling and environmental factors. Reducing heat will reduce PSE as well as dark firm dry (DFD) meat. 6 steps are also given to help eliminate bloodsplash, which is an aesthetic defect caused by mini hemorrhages in the meat. This includes adjusting kill wattage, bleeding quickly, avoiding double stunning, reducing prods, using quality equipment, and CO2 killing.

Objectives of Assisted Reproductive Technology

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The concept of significantly increasing the lean meat output per AI boar via assisted reproductive technology is important. Early programs have given producers better estrus detection, better estrus behaviour, and better AI practice to enhance production. Good estrus detection is essential for detecting when the time is right for AI. Good estrus detection can minimize the wean-to-estrus interval and help developing gilts via visual, audio, smell, and tactile stimulation. The sequence of events that are followed for heat detection should be monitored in order to attain a good standing heat in the sow. Proper stimulation should be administered before the question of “is she in heat or not?” arises. Boar-sow interactions should be limited to the critical breeding period so that muscular contractions during heat are maximized. This will result in a higher conception rate and litter size. AI techniques are being developed so that intra-uterine insemination can be done (rather than cervical insemination). This will reduce the number of sperm per dose by a large amount without the loss in productivity. 3 billion sperm per dose is the average used today, and the use of intra-uterine insemination can lower that number to 1 billion per dose.

Consequences of Federal Manure Management Proposals: Cost to Swine Operations from Land Applying Manure

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Genetic Parameters and Their Use in Swine Breeding

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The importance of decreasing costs of production increases as the swine industry becomes more competitive. Costs of production can be decreased through an organized selection program focused on
genetic improvement in economic traits. The most competitive producers will use a swine-breeding program, which minimizes cost of production and maximizes return on investment. A clear understanding of genetic principles will aid producers in making selection decisions. This publication provides information about breeding values, heritabilities, and genetic correlations and how to use them in genetic improvement programs.

Livestock Operations Face Greater Restriction

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Take an AFO, concentrate it to make a CAFO, mix in some NPDES and TMDL, and you have a brew that more livestock and poultry producers may have to imbibe in the near future. These terms are defined in current and proposed regulations, and their related requirements can affect an operation’s facilities, practices, and costs. Behind the terms is an increasing public interest and government effort to reduce actual and potential pollution from animal manure.

Reducing Water Wastage from Nipple Drinkers by Grower-Finisher pigs

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Final body weight, variiations in final body weight, and growth rate were similar among pigs on different drinkers. Water disapppearance from pigs on the bowl drinkers during the growing period. However during the finishing period, water disappearance for pigs on the bowl drinkers was as high as conventional nipple drinker. The overall water disappearance from pigs on the improved nipple drinkers was very similar as those on well-managed nipple drinkers and bowl drinkers, with water disappearance from the pigs on improved nipple drinkers was reduced by 13% Daily manure output from pigs at different drinkers was similar during the first 4 weeks. Pigs on the conventional nipple drinkers and bowl drinkers produced more manure in weeks 4-8 respecively. The overall average daily manure output from pigs on the improved drinkers was 10% lower than conventinal nipple drinkers, but similar to well-managed bowl and nipple drinkers.

Bacterial Responses to Temperature During Aeration of Pig Slurry

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A LIQUID MANURE INJECTION TOOL ADAPTED TO DIFFERENT SOIL CONDITIONS

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Development of an emission factor for ammonia emissions from US swine farms based on field tests and application of a mass balance method

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The Growing Pollution Problem – Putting Pollution in Perspective; Food Price, Safety, Quality and Welfare

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Payback for animal welfare does not exist. People will refuse to eat pork if they feel the pigs were treated inhumanely, yet they will not pay more if they know they were treated right. Because of the recent food scares (such as foot & mouth and BSE), food safety is on par with price for consumers. Food safety development has been bringing confidence back up. Pollution constraints are a leading factor when it comes to cease of production among companies. Three factors primarily influence whether the consumer decides to purchase that product or not. This includes food safety (genetic modification is worrisome to many), perceived food quality (many think that current farming practices are reducing the taste of food), and pollution (too many people blame farmers). In Europe the government has even been putting a constraint on animal density in a given area. Farmers in Britain have to begin farming in what they call a