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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:
What's New with Odour?
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2001 | No Comments
Biofiltration is a simple, low-cost technology that can reduce odours from ventilated airspace. A biofilter is a bed of organic material that consists of a mixture such as compost and wood chips. Odorous air passes through it and the microbes on the organic material convert odorous gases to carbon dioxide and water. The effectiveness of the biofilter is a function of the amount of time that the odorous air spends in the biofilter and its moisture content. The size of the biofilter depends on the amount of air needing treatment. Typically a biofilter requires 50 to 85 square feet per 1000 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of airflow. The depth of the bed is about 10 to 18 inches. The cost per 1000 cfm of air to be treated is from $150 to $225.
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (AAFRD) have built and are testing a biofilter to see how livestock producers can use this technology successfully. To verify and improve current air dispersion models, field analysis of odour dispersion of pig barns is being done. The final results will be an observed plume of odour coming from the pig barn. This type of work will help to understand how odour plumes disperse from livestock facilities, which will then aid the construction of effective biofilters.
Comparison of Odour Measurement Using Olfactory and N ButanolScale
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Measurement of odour emissions from swine operations is a difficult task. Olfactometers are currently the most accepted method for odour measurement. However, obtaining downwind odour samples that are representative to what is actually a
New studies are providing insight on soil sustainability
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
How do repeated swine manure applications affect crop production, soil and environmental quality over time? A new study funded by Saskatchewan Agriculture and Fooda
Phosphorus Requirements of Growing Pigs
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Effect of group size on aggression of grower-finisher pigs
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Research on management and performance of grower-finisher pigs has generally been conducted with small group sizes, while the swine industry has shifted towards larger group sizes. Our previous study shows that productivity of pigs was not affected by group size up to 80 pigs/pen. However, there are still concerns about aggression and injuries among pigs in a large group. The objective of this study was to determine effects of group size on aggression and injuries of pigs.
The aversion of broiler chickens to concurrent vibrational and thermal stressors
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There are multiple stressors affecting the welfare of broiler chickens during transport. In this study, a preference test was used to determine which stressors birds would avoid if given the choice. The experiment was conduced in a choice-chamber, which had four outer compartments connected to a central zone. Each compartment had a different environment: no applied stressors, thermal stressor, vibrational stressor, or vibrational/thermal stressors. The birds were trained in the apparatus and then tested to determine which compartment they preferred. Training enabled the birds to become used to the environment in each compartment. Each compartment had a distinctive coloured wall so the birds could easily distinguish among the compartments. A feeding station was located at the back of each chamber. Prior to test days, the birds were fasted, so they would be motivated to enter a compartment to find food. The results indicated that the vibration stressor was significantly avoided, but the thermal stressor was not and there was no interaction. Individual birds were found to differ significantly. The avoidance of vibration was expected, but the lack of avoidance of the thermal stressor was not expected. Either the birds could not associate the delayed heat stress with the compartment, or they just did not find it aversive. Studying the effect of combinations of stressors is rare. Using a preference method enables greater insight into the birds perspective.
Effects of early separation on the dairy cow and calf: 2. Separation at day 1 and 2 weeks after birth
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The study examined the behavioural and productivity effects of separating 24 Holstein dairy cows from their calves early (1 day old) or late (14 days old). The behaviour of the cow and calf was observed for an hour prior to separation and for the initial 24h after separation. The social behaviour (licking other calf, rubbing or butting its head the unfamiliar calf and wagging its tail) of the calves at 6 weeks of age was tested by introducing a early or late weaned calf to an unfamiliar calf. The cow and her calf were mostly inactive when they were observed prior to separation. After separation, both the cow and calf from the late separation group placed their heads outside the pens more often the cows and calves from the early separation group. Cows from the late separation group also called and moved around the pen more than cows separated from their calves early. In the two week period immediately following calving, the late separation cows yielded significantly less milk than the early separation cow. Part of the lower milk yield can be attributed to the milk consumption of the calf. The time of separation from the calf did not result in differences in milk yields from 15 to 150 days after calving. The rate of weight gain for calves separated from the cow at 14 days of age was three times the rate seen in calves separated at 1 day of age. At six weeks of age, the calves that were separated from the dam later, exhibited more social behaviours towards the unfamiliar calf than those separated early. The results show that the intensity of the response to separation by both the cow and calf increased with the amount of time they spent together after birth. However, the delay in separation allowed the calves to gain more weight and may have an impact on the social development of the calves.