Effect of ultraviolet radiation on the performance of intact male turkeys.

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

Ultraviolet (UV) sensitivity in birds has been shown to be intrinsically involved in the selection of mates, UV may, therefore, also play a role in the establishment and maintenance of social hierarchies in intensively housed turkeys. Cereal seeds and straw are known to reflect UV, and turkeys may use these cues for foraging and exploratory behaviors. A series of trails was conducted to see if supplementation of the photoperiod (12 h at various white light intensities) with UV radiation (0.06 to 0.16 W/m2 at floor level) and regular supplies of straw to the litter allow a better recognition of individuals within a flock, enrich the environment by the provision of new pecking material and of radiation across the whole range of avian sensitivity, and, as a consequence, reduce the incidence of injurious pecking in male turkeys that have not been beak-trimmed, detoed, or desnooded. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, and leg integrity were generally not significantly affected by UV supplementation and environmental enrichment. In contrast, the provision of UV radiation, simultaneous with a 12-h photoperiod of white light at intensities of <70 lx to 5 wk and of 10 lx to 20 wk, and the regular addition of straw to the litter, significantly reduced the incidence of culling because of injurious pecking. However, complex interactions among UV supplementation, white light intensity, and material environmental enrichment 1precluded a simple recommendation to solve the problem of injurious pecking.

Behaviour and leg injuries in dairy cows kept in cubicle systems with straw bedding or soft lying mats.

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In order to reduce straw input, soft lying mats are used increasingly instead of straw bedding in cubicle systems for dairy cows. This study aimed at comparing different types of soft lying mats with straw bedding regarding cow behaviour and leg injuries. Data were collected on 5 farms with straw and on 13 farms using four types of soft lying mats consisting of different materials. On each farm, lying behaviour of 10 cows was recorded automatically during 3 days by means of a pneumatically operated resting sensor fitted in a belt. In addition, standing up and lying down behaviour of sows was quantified by direct observations, and all cows on a given farm were checked once for leg injuries. There were no significant differences between cows kept in cubicle systems with soft lying mats and straw bedding regarding the total time spent lying per day and the number of lying bouts per day. Standing up and lying down behaviour also did not differ between cows with access to soft lying mats and straw bedding. Leg injuries were most frequent in the carpal and tarsal joints. Cows kept in cubicle systems with soft lying mats had a significantly higher incidence of both hairless patches more than 2 cm in diameter and scabs or wounds less than 2 cm in diameter located in the tarsal joints than cows with straw bedding. With the carpal joints, on the other hand, the incidence of leg injuries did not differ significantly between these two housing conditions. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that soft lying mats are equivalent to straw bedding in terms of cow behaviour but less favourable with respect to leg injuries located in the tarsal joints.

Wet/Dry Feeders and Manure Production – Is There a Relationship?

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In a 12-month period beginning in the spring of 1998, a study was run to examine the impact of wet/dry feeders on manure production, manure nutrient levels, and water use in feeder pig barns. This type of feeder is a popular choice in feeder barns. Manure samples were collected every second month from 21 farms. Average water requirement for wet/dry feeder barns was significantly less than dry feeder barns but not average manure production. Manure nutrient levels varied among farms with the average nitrogen content around 0.65% and manure dry matter values for wet/dry feeder barns at 3-11%.

Amendment of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Swine Manure by Nutrition -factsheet

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A rapid expansion of swine production in prairie provinces increased the public awareness of the environmental concerns associated with swine manure – the odour and water quality being the main concerns. An excess nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) excreted in manure are responsible for adverse effects on water quality.
Manure from large swine production units with a limited land base can not utilize manure effectively as fertilizer resulting in storage and disposal problems. The new environmental regulations require nutrient management plans for swine farms.

MOISTURE-INDUCED PRESSURES AND LOADS IN GRAIN BINS

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Blood prolactin depression in growing pigs fed sorghum ergot (Claviceps africana)

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PHOTOTROPHIC ANAEROBIC LAGOONS AS AFFECTED BY COPPER AND ZINC IN SWINE DIETS

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Earthen Manure Storage Monitoring – PSC Elstow Research Farm

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Introduction
Rapid growth in the Saskatchewan hog industry has caused an increase in environmental awareness among the public. This had led to more
stringent environmental standards being imposed on the construction of earthen manure storages. Most storages are now required to have a minimum 600-mm thick liner made of recompacted in situ soils. More extreme cases require a geotextile liner. These recommendations have resullted in a significant improvement over the unlined and uncompacted storages constructed in the past. Unfortunately, these improved liners have done little to alleviate public concern in some areas. In answer to this concern, a program was initiated to monitor solute migration through the liners of different hog lagoon storages throughout Saskatchewan.

Objectives
The main objectives of this project are to:
1. Determine changes in groundwater chemistry with depth over time,
2. Determine effectiveness of clay liners and clarify liner requirements, and,
3. Determine safe separation distance between EMSa

TREATMENT OF SWINE WASTEWATER USING A SATURATED-SOIL CULTURE SOYBEAN AND FLOODED RICE SYSTEM

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Nitrogen mass balance in deep litter during the pig fattening cycle and during composting

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