The effect of space allowance on performance, aggression and immune competence of growing pigs housed on straw deep-litter at different group sizes.

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

Research on the space requirements for pigs housed in large groups and on deep-straw bedding is limited. Group size was either 20 or 80 pigs per pen. The pigs were housed on deep straw and provided with either a low (50 kg/m2) or high (32 kg/m2) space allowance. Overall, low space allowance did not have an effect on average daily gain (ADG) but it did tend to improve growth efficiency. Pigs housed in groups of 80 had a lower ADG than pigs in groups of 20. The variation of ADG within each pen was similar for each treatment. At the low space allowance, there was a higher incidence of skin lesions among pigs. When exposed to an antigen challenge (Newcastle disease virus), pigs housed in the small space allowance had a lower humoral response. In conclusion, it was suggested that the welfare of pigs housed at the low space allowance was compromised. The lack of interaction between space allowance and group size, the poorer ADG seen in large groups, and the higher lesion scores and suppressed immune response of pigs housed under restricted space allowance were evidence of this conclusion.

Laying hen behaviour 1. Effects of cage type and startle stimuli

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This experiment examined the behavioural responses of two strains of laying hens to a number of startling stimuli when housed in two types of cages. The hen strains were DeKalb Delta and Hy-Line W36. The cages were either solid walled or open walled. The startling stimuli involved taping on the cages, loud noises, etc. The birds were observed for 30 minutes after being startled to record the behavioural response to the startle and the time required for the birds to return to normal behaviour. Minor differences were observed, but overall the authors conclude that cage type did not affect the response of the two strains to startling stimuli nor their return to normal behaviour. Neither solid nor open walled cages adversely affected the birds, nor did they confer any obvious advantages to the birds in handling stress.

Effects of an acute stressor on fear and on the social reinstatement responses of domestic chicks to cagemates and strangers

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Broiler chicks remained undisturbed or were exposed to an acute stressor (mechanical restraint) before measuring tonic immobility and fear responses one hour later (experiment 1). Exposing the birds to the stressor significantly prolonged their tonic immobility response and most likely their underlying fear levels as well. In experiment 2, the response of the undisturbed control chicks and the stressed chicks were assessed by placing them each individually in a runway with a goal box containing either familiar or unfamiliar chicks of the same age. Findings of the study indicated that stressed chicks emerged from the start box sooner and spent a greater amount of time near the stimulus birds, suggesting that exposure to a frightening event increased social reinstatement motivation. Social affiliation was even stronger when the goal box contained familiar chicks rather than strangers, regardless of prior treatment. This indicates that broiler chicks housed in groups of twelve can discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar cagemates when encountered in a novel situation. Therefore, sociality was positively associated with fearfulness and the chicks distinctly showed social discrimination in runway tests. Conclusions stated that fear and the capacity of social recognition in tests of social motivation were important to birds. Recommendations stated that exposure to frightening events before a test should be avoided and the identity of the birds in the runway goal box should be standardized and noted (i.e. familiar or unfamiliar).

The spontaneous qualitative assessment of behavioural expressions in pigs: First explorations of a novel methodology for integrative animal welfare measurement.

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Using spontaneous descriptive terms (such as ‘afraid’ or ‘calm’) to explain what animals are feeling and experiencing in different situations could be an efficient and useful way of interpreting their welfare states. However, there would have to be significant agreement shown to exist among different observers in order for this type qualitative evaluation to be useful. In this study, 18 observers with no experience with pigs were asked to independently and freely describe the behaviour of 40 growing pigs. Half the pigs were housed in an enriched environment, and half were housed in a barren environment. The observers were not aware of the different housing conditions. For the observations, each pig was moved from its home pen and observed individually in a test pen in response to the presence of a human. First, the observers watched each pig for four minutes, and then used their own words to describe the pig’s behaviour for three minutes. The results indicated that the untrained observers significantly agreed in their choice of terms to describe the behaviour of the pigs. The terms used by the observers tended to represent a continuum of behavioural expressions, eg. ‘friendly-relaxed-gentle-calm-tense-careful-cautious-restless’. The pigs that were housed in enriched pens were described as being friendly and inquisitive more than those housed in barren pens (this found in one part of the study and needs further research). The preliminary results suggest that spontaneous qualitative assessment could be a useful technique for assessing animal welfare, but further research is required.

Application of Electronic Management Tools

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This article is a summary of computer programs presented at a swine workshop. The workshop demonstrated several innovative computer programs and electronic technologies that are available to the pork industry. The computer programs address issues such as ventilation and heating rates, humidity levels, gas levels and animal temperature requirements.

Environmental Interactions with Agricultural Production

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Agricultural production uses land, fertilizers, pesticides, water, and other inputs that can have an impact on the environment and potentially harm human and ecosystem health. This Briefing Room describes agriculture’s interactions with environmental quality, and the policy responses for improving environmental performance.

Modifying stockperson attitudes and behaviour towards pigs at a large commercial farm.

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The behaviour and welfare of pigs is greatly influenced by the treatment they receive from the stockperson. This study evaluated the effect of the stockperson’s attitude towards pigs and their job satisfaction on how they treated the pigs in their care. The effect of attempting to modify the stockperson’s attitude and behaviour towards pigs was also examined. On a large commercial facility, 43 stockpeople became involved in the study. Some of the stockpeople participated in a training program to attempt to modify their attitudes and behaviour towards pigs, while the others did not receive any training. Some of the information provided during the training sessions included: details about the sensitivity of pigs, proper handling techniques, and how improper handling can negatively affect productivity Data was collected before and after training through questionnaires and direct observations with the pigs. Training resulted in improved attitudes towards pigs. The results from the questionnaires indicated changes in their beliefs about the importance of proper handling and that petting and talking to the pigs would have a positive effect. Direct observations showed that trained stockpeople decreased their negative behaviours towards the pigs. Pigs also tended to show less fear-related behaviour in the presence of trained stockpeople. The training procedure was successful in modifying the stockperson’s attitude and behaviour towards pigs. This indicates that training programs for employees in the pig industry would be beneficial.

FAT THICKNESS AND LOIN EYE AREA EFFECTS ON PORK CARCASS QUALITY MEASURES

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STOCHASTIC MODELING OF COMPOSTING PROCESSES WITH BATCH OPERATION BY THE FOKKER-PLANCK EQUATION

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Odourous Emissions and Odor Control in Composting Swine Manure/Sawdust Mixes Using Continuous and Intermettent Aeration

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Swine manure mixed with sawdust was composted ina 205L pilot-scale vessel. Four runs with a total of 22 vessel studies were made during 1998 and 1999. Composting was conducted, with either continuous or intermettent aeration supplied to each veswsel, for 17-79 days. Temperature, airflow, carbon dioxide production, oxygen uptake, and ammonia production were monitored. Material masses, moisture content, pH and various chemical concentrations were determined for initial and final samples. Further in the final two runs, conndensate from the exhaust air stream from each vessel was collected using water cooled condensers. Consensates and extracts from initial and final samples were analyzed bt gas chromatograph with falme ionization detector for volatile fatty acids. The results indicvated airflow had a strong effect on emssions. Ammonia showed a linear trend versus airflow, with about 50% reduction in ammonia occurring for a 75% reduction in airflow. Thus, there is a potential for reduced odors with reduced airflow. Reults also indicate that pH influenced the onset of composting and the potential for odour release. For vessels that started at higher pH values, development was much mopre rapid. These effects, combined with that fact that a significant majority of volatile fatty acids initially present at the ennd of runs, indicated that high bacterial activity was important for reduction of odour potential.