Behavioural indicators of cow comfort: activity and resting behaviour of dairy cows in two types of housing.

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The effect of the sticking method on the welfare of slaughter pigs.

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A study was undertaken to investigate the causes of inadequate sticking at a number of abattoirs in the UK. Pigs were stunned using head-only electrical stunning. Sticking was with a 20 cm long, double edged knife, and involved either a long or short cut (undefined). Bleed out times were determined and vessels and organs examined to determine which were cut by the knife. Although stunning was effective in rendering the pig unconscious, some pigs were difficult to stick because of uncontrolled movement. The long cut was more effective in obtaining a fast bleed out (approx. 75 vs 85 sec), and cut a larger number of the major vessels and organs. The subclavia and carotid vessels were almost always severed, while the brachiocephalic, aorta and heart were cut approximately 45, 75 and 88% of the time, respectively. Improvements in stunning and the use of a long cut should reduce the possibility of a poor stick resulting in unacceptable welfare.

The effect of increasing visual horizons on stereotypic weaving: implications for the social housing of stabled horses

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Stabled horses often perform stereotypic patterns of movement, such as weaving pacing in the stall. Environmental enrichment is seen as one way of addressing this problem. In particular, this paper examined the concept of providing animals with a greater view of their environment. Horses were housed in standard loose (box) stalls. Treatment varied according to how any sides of the stall were opened to allow the animal to see its environment. Opening of the various doors, windows and side panels also allowed the animals to better hear and interact with the outdoor environment (front and back of stall) and horses in adjacent stalls (sides). Increasing the number of sides that were open to the environment decreased the incidence of weaving in the horses. Three hypotheses are given to explain this improvement in behaviour. It could be the novelty of the expanded environment, in which case the stereotypic behaviours would develop again once the novelty wore off. No evidence was seen of this, but the trial was of a limited length. Secondly, The open treatments could allow animals greater opportunity to interact with the environment, and these behaviours would compete with the stereotypies for time budget. The third hypothesis is that the open windows allowed the expression of specific and beneficial activities that improved the welfare of the animals. These could include monitoring of the environment or social interaction. The conclusion is that opening the stalls to the surrounding environment reduced the incidence of weaving in the horses.

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

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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.

BEHAVIOR OF DAIRY COWS IN RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT BARN COOLING SYSTEMS

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Dietary lysine requirements of heavy and light pigs weaned at 14 days of age

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Sask Research Shows Forage Yields Boosted by Hog Manure

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Recent work at the the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) indicate that manure injection into standing grassland can produce significant results. Plots of crested wheatgrass, smooth brome grass, and Russian wild rye were injected with three different manure application rates: low (3,300 gal/acre), medium (6,600 gal/acre) and heavy (13,200 gal/acre). Yields in in treated plots were two to four times greater than the control plot, with crested wheat grass experiencing the greatest increase. Application rates in year one had enough carry-over to year two, to produce higher yields relative to the control plots. Manure seems to genrate significant increase in forage yield, however forage quality analysis should be taken prior to feeding manure-fertilzed feed to animals.