Study of water Consumption and Waste Production During Different Growth Stages in Hog Operations

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2001 | No Comments

This study was initiated to quantify and update values used by the swine industry and regulatory authorities for water consumption and waste production for swine operations using modern management practices. A second objective was to apportion total water usage and total waste production into components according to stage of production and function. Nine swine operations of similar design and management practices, but representing a cross section of herd sizes were selected and monitored for approximately 18 months. The following conclusions were drawn from the data collected: Total water use for all production phases and functions averages 89.5 litres/sow/day, eighty percent of total water use was for animal drinking, with the remainder used for animal cooling (10 a

Gaseous emissions from outdoor concrete yards used by livestock

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Swine Lagoon Effluent as a Source of Nitrogen and Phosphorus for Summer Forage Grasses

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In-Crop Application of Liquid Hog Manure in Irrigated Potato Production

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Manitoba produced over 4 million hogs in 1998, up 15% from the previous year, with the trend toward larger hog barns. Strategies for waste disposal need to be an integral part of management of hog operations. The high volume of liquid waste associated with hog operations, combined with the high costs of liquid waste transport highlight the need to identify approaches to waste disposal that maximize efficiency both of nutrient use and transport.
Application of swine manure on potatoes affords distinct advantages to both the hog and potato producer. Potatoes are a high value crop that require large nutrient inputs to achieve maximum production. To the hog producer, manure is the cost of doing business. A heavy user of the waste product of the hog industry would be of considerable benefit. And unlike cattle manure, swine manure does not appear to cause scab lesions.
Fall manure application raises serious concerns related to odour production, and volatile and leaching losses. Nitrate leaching could be particularly serious on the light-textured soils that are ideal for potato production. There are, as yet, no adequately explored alternatives to fall swine manure application on potato soils.
In this study we explored the use of in-crop soil injection of swine manure on potatoes prior to canopy closure as an alternative to fall manure application. The advantages to this approach are 1) it provides the crop with nutrients at a time when nutrient demand is rapidly increasing, 2) it reduces the losses of N due to volatilization and leaching, 3) it minimizes the spread of the odour to at or near ground level, and below the canopy.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Is that an Issue for Canadian Pork Producers

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Sequential Belly Nosing of Early Weaned Pigs

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Nutritional value of high-oil oat groats

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High-oil germplasm should increase the DE content of feed ingredients. The nutritional value of high oil oat groats was analyzed using grower and weaned pigs. Using grower pigs, DE content of high oil oat groats was 5% higher than regular oat groats. A subsequent performance trial with weaned pigs indicated that high oil oat groats resulted in a similar performance as regular oat groats if replaced on an equal weight basis.

A note on the effect of isolation during testing and length of previous confinement on locomotor behaviour furing open-field test in dairy calves.

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Open-field test is used to measure the effect of housing and handling on emotional reactivity. This study investigated firstly if confined calves perform more locomotor behaviour when open-field tested in pairs than when tested individually, and secondly if length of confinement affects the build-up of motivation to perform locomotor behaviour. In the first experiment, 14 calves were open-field tested on two successive days either individually or as a pair. Calves walked more and performed more locomotor play when tested in pairs, suggesting that it may be appropriate to avoid isolation when aiming to measure the effects of confinement on locomotor behaviour. In the second experiment, in each of three successive weeks, 24 calves had access to an exercise arena for 45 min daily on three successive days either: 1) the first 3 days, 2) the third, fourth and fifth day, or 3) the fourth, fifth and sixth day. On the seventh day the calves were released into the arena for 10 min of open-field test. Calves performed more locomotor play, and they trotted more after 3 days without access to the arena than after 1 or 0 days, suggesting that in calves the motivation to perform locomotor play and trotting increases with length of confinement.

Solving return-to-sensibility problems after electrical stunning in commercial pork slaughter plants.

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Case studies of six federally inspected pork slaughter plants were conducted to determine the causes and solutions for problems with return-to-sensibility in pigs after electrical stunning. Pigs were held in a V-shaped restrainer conveyor and stunned with a manually applied head-to-body electrical stunner. Within each plant, 100-200 pigs were scored based on stunner positioning, squealing when stunner was applied, and signs of insensibility. Spontaneous eye blinking after stunning (which indicates the pig is beginning to return to sensibility or that insufficient amperage was used) ranged from 0.5 to 7 percent. Signs of possible return-to-sensibility disappeared before bleeding pigs reached the scalding tub. Eye blinking was eliminated by improving bleeding practices, redesigning the stunner operator’s work station to facilitate proper placement of the stunner, redesigning the head electrode to improve proper placement, reducing line speed, improving initial contact of the stunner, and increasing amperage (that was too low for sows). Correct electrode placement, appropriate amperage, and bleeding procedures need to be monitored to ensure the pig is rendered insensible. It is possible to correct problems with electrical stunning, but the procedures need to be monitored. Spontaneous eye blinking (without touching the eye) is recommended for evaluating return-to-sensibility problems under field conditions.

The influence of farmers' behaviour on calves' reactions to transport and quality of veal meat.

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Based on preliminary observations in various veal units, 20 units were selected for this study. The units were selected based on how the farmer was observed to interact with the calves. In half the units the farmers had predominantly positive interactions with the calves, whereas in the other units the farmers had predominantly negative interactions with the calves. The units that had ‘positive farmers’ produced calves that were less fearful of people within the veal unit, were easier to load and unload onto the truck, had lower heart rates during loading and unloading and had fewer accidents (falling down, hits against structures, slips) while at the slaughterhouse compared to calves that came from units with ‘negative farmers’. Calves that had experienced positive interactions had carcasses that were paler, lower in pH, moisture, and redness than the carcasses from calves that had experienced negative interactions. The farmers’ behaviour was found to have a significant effect on the emotional responses of the veal calves in this study. Positive behaviour towards the calves was found to result in less emotional reactivity during stressful events, which improved ease of handling, meat quality and decreased accidents.