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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:
Evaporative cooling of ventral regions of the skin in heat-stressed laying hens.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on January 1, 2001 | No Comments
Laying hens held in battery cages in naturally ventilated poultry houses in hot countries usually develop hyperthermia, which adversely affects their performance. The present means of cooling alleviate to some degree, but cannot eliminate, the stress imposed by heat. A new approach to cooling of laying hens was developed, based on wetting the skin and promoting evaporation of water from the ventral regions of the bird. The type of plumage in the ventral regions and the exposed skin of the apteria enable more efficient wetting than is possible with dorsal cooling. A ventral cooling regime, comprising an initial period of frequent wettings followed by intermittent wetting for 10 s every 30 min was able to maintain normothermia of laying hens subjected to a 10-h period of heat exposure. Dorsal cooling was less efficient; body temperature and respiration rate were higher and skin temperatures were lower than in ventrally cooled hens. During 10 d of heat exposure, ventrally cooled hens maintained egg weight and shell index, whereas their food intake decreased moderately. In contrast, egg weight, shell index, and food intake all decreased markedly in uncooled or dorsally cooled hens. Transient alterations in plasma concentrations of corticosterone, progesterone, and estradiol were noted in uncooled and dorsally cooled hens but not in ventrally cooled hens. Results indicate that ventral cooling is an efficient method to alleviate heat stress in laying hens during summer. Successful implementation of ventral cooling in poultry houses will depend on optimal installation of sprinklers and on minimal wetting of manure.
Antimicrobial Drug Use and Veterinary Costs in U.S. Livestock Production
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Dietary Particle Size and Nutrient Supply Affect Nitroegn Excretion
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Diets based on barley and peas ground to two particle sizes and with one of two diet formulations were fed to cannulated grower pigs. Energy digestibility was effected by particle size but not diet formulation. Total nitrogen excretion was affected by diet formulation, but not partilce size. Reducing particle size from 900 to 600 mm increased total tract and ileal energy digestibility by 3-10%, respectively. Reducing particle size from 900 o 600 mm did not alter urinary or total nitrogen excretion, but reduced fecal nitrogen excretion by 11%, indicating that particle size reduction improved nitrogen digesyibility but did not reduce total nitrogen excretion. Reducing particle size was effective in reducing feacl but not total nitrogen excretion. Diet formulation is more effective in reducing nitrogen excretion.
Studies of Seepage Beneath Earthen Manure Storages and Cattle Pens in Manitoba
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Overview
Over the past four years, research has been undertaken in Manitoba by the provincial Department of Conservation and the University of Manitoba to examine the potential for impacts on groundwater quality from seepage beneath earthen manure storages and seasonal cattle pens. In this report we present some of the results of these studies and discuss the potential for groundwater quality impacts from these facilities. While the paper has been divided into two separate discussions, the theme of each part is very similar an examination of the rates and concentrations of downward seepage of contaminants beneath areas where manure is concentrated for lengthy periods of time. Both parts of this report also focus on contaminant movement in areas underlain by clays and glacial tills, materials with relatively low permeability that are generally considered to provide good protection for underlying aquifers.
Introduction
There has been a dramatic increase in hog production in North America in recent years. In the last five years the industry has experienced 100% growth in Manitoba, and this trend of rapid expansion is expected to continue. In 1997, over three million hogs were raised in the Province, and sold for an estimated $1.25 billion (Manitoba Pork Council, 2001). Earthen manure storage structures are commonly used in Manitoba to hold liquid hog manure. The primary advantages of earthen storages are their low cost relative to above-ground facilities and the flexibility to design and construct earthen storages to match the needs of the livestock operation. A potential disadvantage is that earthen storages will leak unless they are lined with an impermeable membrane. If a storage is underlain by an aquifer, leakage may result in contamination of groundwater. In 1998, the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation (Manitoba Regulation 42/98) was proclaimed as part of Manitobaa
Effect of Phytase on Production Paramaters and Nutrient Availability in Briolers and Laying Hens: A Review
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An increase in poultry production in recent years has led to a greater use of poultry manure as fertilizer, which has in turn increased the amount of phosphorus runoff from fields fertilized with poultry manure. Phosphorus excretion in poultry manure can lead to water pollution when manure is used as fertilizer. The need to maintain dietary phosphorus levels while redcuing excretion in poultry manure has led to the increase in the application of phytase to poultry feed in recent years. The use of phytase reduces phosphorus excretion in poultry manure by allowing the birds to utilize more of the phytate phosphorus. Phytate phosphorus has the ability to complex with cations such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, and nitrogen and certain gastrointestinal proteases, thus reducing the availability of these cations and of amino acids. The use of phytase may free these cations and proteases bound in phytata phosphorus complexes and improve production parameters and body structure characteristics in broilers and laying hens, such as body weight, bone ash content, feed consumption, egg weight, and eggshell quality.
Environmentally Superior Waste ManagementTechnologies
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Discussions around the environmental concerns in relation to animal waste management, especially the lagoon/spray field technology used in the pork production industry, have led to an Agreement made between the Attorney General of North Carolina and Smithfield Foods, Inc. This agreement was the funding for an a
Construction of a Facility for Lab-Scale Testing of Stored Livestock Manure
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A lab-scale manure testing facility has been constructed. The facility consists of 10 airtight manure storage vessels housed in an environmentally controlled chamber. Airflow to each storage vessel is regulated to control the oxygen level in the stored manure. The headspace gas may be sampled and monitored through a grid of Teflon tubing. Manure samples can also be collected from various manure depths from each vessel. The facility allows for conducting various tests on manure, including the study of odour and greenhouse gas emissions from stored storages, waste breakdown characteristics under various storage conditions, and the effectiveness of different manure management technologies and feeding strategies.