Description of the Pork Industry Interpretive Centre

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The pork industry interpretive centre and viewing gallery is a communications project initiated by the Centre to address a growing need to provide public access t pork production facilities. The industry interpretive Centre will provide factual information on all aspects of pork production; combined with the associated Viewing Gallery, the general public will be able to see the inner workings of a modern pork production facility and how livestock production works with other aspects of the rural economy.

CIBC Announces Contribution to Interpretive Centre

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Savaging of Piglets: A Puzzle of Maternal Behaviour

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Infanticide, a

Effects of nipple drinker height and flow rate on water wastage in grower and finisher pigs

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An experiment was conducted to study the effects of height and flow rate of nipple drinkers on water wastage in pigs. Results show water wastage in pigs. Results show water wastage can be reduced by up to 20% by adjusting nipple height. High flow rate resulted in higher water wastage.

http://prairieswine.com/rsc/pdf/1941.pdf

Effects of group selection for productivity and longevity on blood concentrations of serotonin, catecholamines, and corticosterone of laying hens.

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In order to place an emphasis on how well hens perform in a group, the authors initiated a program of selecting groups of hens that performed well rather than individuals from groups. By selecting groups of birds the authors previously reported a reduction in cannibalism and flightiness that accompanied the improved productivity. In this study they examined various physiological measures to determine if there was an associated physiological change in the birds. They compared lines that had been selected for high and low productivity in groups. The low productivity line (also higher cannibalism and flightiness) had higher blood levels of dopamine and epinephrine and serotonin, and a higher epinephrine/norepinephrine ratio. The birds from the high production line tended to have higher cortisol levels. The differences suggest that the low productivity line were more likely to show the flight or fright reaction to stress (epinephrine etc) indicative of active copers, while the high production line appeared to be more passive. Group selection, which emphasizes the ability to get along in a group, affects various physiological measures in the birds.

Do broiler chicks have a cognitive representation of food quality? Appetitive, behavioural and ingestive response to a change in diet quality

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Poultry have been observed to suppress feeding when a new diet or a new batch of the same diet is first presented. This transitory phase seems to be related to the birds’ inability to recognize the food as edible or they classify it as ‘unknown’. The objective of this study was to determine if cognitive processes are involved in food recognition and rejection. Sixteen groups of broiler chicks were fed a low quality feed in their home pens and were trained to run a maze to gain access to a high quality feed. When training was completed, eight of the groups were given a low quality diet in the trough at the end of the maze (the same diet they received in their home pen). The other eight groups continued to receive the high quality diet. The authors predicted that time to reach the end of the maze would decrease significantly for the birds given the low quality diet. The birds that received the low-quality diet did not immediately decrease the time they took to complete the maze (as would be expected if the birds used a cognitive comparison). However, after four day, the experimental group was significantly slower to reach the end of the maze compared to the control group. On the day of the change, the birds displayed behaviour that could be indicative of frustration. The experimental birds showed more scratching and hurried movements and less pecking at feed. Food consumption was also less after the change onward for the experimental birds. The authors concluded that there was no definitive evidence for the presence of a cognitive representation of food. They suggest that this may have been due in part to testing groups as opposed to individual birds, and perception of food quality. Behaviours that may indicate frustration in the experimental birds suggested that a cognitive expectation might have been present.

Influence of prior exposure to wood shavings on feather pecking, dustbathing and foraging in adult laying hens.

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It is believed that there is a period of high sensitivity in a chick’s life when they develop a preference for specific substrates. If there is not an appropriate substrate available during this sensitive time, the chicks may seek out alternative substrates that may not be appropriate. This study examined whether the preferences developed by chicks during the sensitive period continue into adulthood and affect the behaviour of laying hens. The duration of substrate exposure, changes in substrate, age at exposure and time lapse since exposure were examined. At various ages and lengths of time, the wire flooring was replaced with solid flooring covered with wood shavings, which resulted in 12 different treatment combinations. The adult hens that had never had exposure to wood shavings performed significantly more feather pecking than those from any other treatment combination. The minimal exposure length of 10 days was, therefore effective at reducing feather pecking. The flooring substrate was still important well into adulthood, as hens that were housed on wood shavings, ground pecked significantly more and feather pecked significantly less than hens that were housed on wire regardless of exposure during the rearing period. Subsequently the hens were provided with either wood shavings or straw, and once again previous experience did not affect their foraging behaviour, as the hens foraged on both. Dustbathing however, was performed the majority of the time on wood shavings and at age at which the hens had been introduced to wood shaving also affected this behaviour. The preference to dustbath on wood shavings as the hens had increasing exposure to straw may indicate a stable preference to dustbathe on wood shavings. In conclusion, the behaviour of the adult laying hens was quite flexible, however, the behavioural expression is dependent on the type of substrate available.

Quantifying aspects of young horses' temperament: consistency of behavioural variables

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Behavioural variation and physical ability will influence the performance of horses. All 41 horses in this study, of the same breed and age, were reared in the same housing and management conditions. Two behavioural tests were used to assess each horse’s temperament at 9, 10, 21, and 22 months of age. The tests included a novel object test and handling test. During the novel object test, an open umbrella was lowered from the ceiling. The handling test involved the horses being led across a bridge. The following data was collected during each test: locomotor activity, latency times, postural expressions, and vocalizations. There were positive correlations found among all variables collected during the handling tests and among all but two of the variables collected during the novel object test. A principal component analysis indicated that two possible temperamental traits were extracted from the data collected during the novel object test, which included ‘flightiness’ and ‘sensitiveness’; and two traits were extracted from data collected during the handling test, which included ‘patience’ and ‘willingness to perform’. There was some consistency found over time. The behavioural tests were useful in identifying individual variation and temperamental traits in young horses. However, consistency over time was not found for all the variables.

Identification of porcine Lhx3 and SF1 as candidate genes for QTL affecting growth and reproduction traits in swine

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COMMISSIONING LIVESTOCK BUILDINGS: THE NEEDS AND CHALLENGES

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