Influence of earthworm-processed pig manure on the growth and yield of greenhouse tomatoes

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2000 | No Comments

Environmental Regulation & Location of Hog Production

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Environmental regulation, and the added costs generally associated with compliance, are considerations
often factored into the choice of a business location. It has been hypothesized that geographic variation in environmental regulations and enforcement can induce a migration of industries across state or country boundaries to a

Effect on Group Size on Grower Finisher Pigs

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments

Positively Impacting the Carcass by Adding Fat to the Diet

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Dietary enzyme improves nutrient digestibility of canola meal-diets

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A trial was conducted with cannulated weaned pigs to study effects of a dietary enzyme on nutrient digestibility. Supplemental enzymes that degrade some of the VSP were useful in improving ileal digestibility of energy and amino acids, but not total tract digestibility of energy.

Clogging and flow reduction in soil materials by ponded hog manure

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Earthen manure storages (EMS) offer an economically viable means of storing manure as compared to concrete or steel tanks. However, ground water contamination is a concern if the EMS is not constructed properly. Research from Quebec suggests that liquid manure can cause clogging and a great reduction in seepage rates. To confirm these findings, a similar study was conducted. Findings showed that liquid hog manure does effectively clog soil pores, as flow rate was decreased 100 to 1000 times with little effect by texture. Clogging can be easily disturbed and appears to be a surface effect. Warmer temperatures and biological activity might also disrupt this clogging effect. Therefore, the presence of clogging should not be used as a substitute for properly chosen and well engineered earthen materials in manure storages.

Strain differences in aggressiveness of male domestic fowl in response to a model.

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Longitudinal changes in bronchial responsiveness associated with swine confinement dust exposure.

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The demand for straw and feathers as litter substrates by laying hens.

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The consumer demand theory, relating to the elasticity of demand, is now being incorporated into behavioural demands and environmental requirements of farm animals. Laying hens have been found to have an inelastic demand for various types of floor litter such as sand, peat or wood shavings. The demand of other types of litter, feathers and straw, have yet to be studied, thus this study set out to determine the elasticity of the demand for the said types of litter. Every second day for one hour, the hens had to peck at a key a certain number of times, after which they received a reward, access to either straw or feathers. All the laying hens were willing to work for access to straw, while only three were willing to work for access to the feathers. Dustbathing was not consistently performed in either of the two types of litter. Even though the hens did not use the access to straw to dustbathe, the study still found that they have a high demand for access to this form of litter.

Struggling behavior in shackled male and female broiler chickens.

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It has been suggested, based on anecdotal evidence, that when shackled broiler chickens struggle, it is due to the discomfort associated with compression of the shank. Birds with larger shanks seem to struggle more violently than birds with smaller shanks. The size of the leg gap is not adjustable. The hypothesis of this study was that males would struggle more than females, as they tend to be larger and have thicker shanks than females. The following data was collected for males and females during a one-minute period when the birds were first shackled: latencies to struggle, numbers of struggling bouts, and total time spent struggling. Each test bird was measured for body weight and circumference of the right shank. The results indicated that male birds were heavier and had larger shanks than females. The males also struggled sooner and longer than females. When the data for males and females was pooled, there was a negative correlation between latency to struggle and shank size and a positive correlation between struggling behaviour and shank size. However, there were no correlations within sex. Body weight was not correlated with any of the struggling behaviour measures. The authors concluded that male broilers may struggle more than females due to the use of shackles that have leg gaps that do not adjust to fit larger shanks.