Consistency of measurement of social status in dry-sows group-housed in indoor and outdoor systems.

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

Effects of early separation on the dairy cow and calf 1. Separation at 6h, 1 day and 4 days after birth.

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This study examined the behavioural responses of dairy cows and their calves when the calf is separated from the cow 6 h, 1 or 4 days after birth. The behaviour was documented by video recordings starting an hour prior to separation and ended 21 hours after the separation occurred. Prior to separation, the younger calves tended to make more calls, move around the pen and stand more than older calves. As for the cow, prior to separation, the cows with younger calves would move around the pen more and she would also vocalize more. After separation, the older the calf was at separation, the greater amount of time it spent moving around the pen, standing, and standing with its head out of the pen. The cow’s behaviour at separation followed a similar trend as the calves. Cows weaned from their young four days after birth vocalized four times more than cows separated at one day or 6 hours. Along with a higher rate of vocalization, the vocalizations of cows that spent more time with their young after birth were also higher in fundamental frequency and a lower emphasized harmonic. Calves that spent more time with the cow after birth were on treatment for scouring for fewer days. There were no significant interaction between timing of separation and the cow’s milk production and calves’ weight gain. The intensity of the cow and calf’s reaction to separation increased with age in both the cow and calf. However, the negative behavioural response may be negated by the health advantages incurred by allowing the calf to remain with the cow for longer periods of time after birth.

Laying hen behaviour 2. Cage type preference and heterophil to lymphocyte ratios

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This study examined the reaction of laying hens to open sided and closed sided cages. In the first part of the study birds were allowed to choose between open and closed sided compartments. The birds demonstrated a preference (45-70% of birds) for open sided compared to closed-sided (15-25%) compartments in this short term assessment. The birds were then given continuous access to both compartment for 5 hours and a preference for spending time in the open-sided condition was still evident. Finally, heterophil:lymphocyte ratios were determined on birds housed long term in open and closed-sided cages. The higher ratios found in the birds in closed-sided cages indicates a higher level of stress. These results indicate that hens prefer open-sided conditions and are stressed by closed-sided cages.

Effect of manipulating feathers of laying hens on the incidence of feather pecking and cannibalism.

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Feather pecking is a problem on both economic and welfare grounds. There are several possible ways that feather pecking may spread. The simplest way is that one hen may damage the feathers of another hen, and another hen may find the damaged feathers an attractive pecking target. The objective of this experiment was to determine if damaged feathers were feather-pecked more than undamaged feathers on the same body area, and to determine whether some types of feather-body area manipulations were preferred over others as pecking stimuli. Manipulations of this experiment involved damaging the feathers on the rump, tail or belly of different hens with two or three levels of severity of manipulation. Sixteen groups of hens between 26 and 28 weeks were observed. Damaged feathers received significantly more severe feather pecks than undamaged feathers. The feather-body area manipulations that received the greatest number of severe feather pecks were the tail feathers when they were cut very short, the rump feathers when they were trimmed, and the rump when feathers were removed. The results of this experiment suggest that feather pecking does indeed spread through flocks by damaged feathers becoming an attractive target for feather-pecking behaviour. This finding is important in that it suggests that feather pecking can potentially spread through a flock if there is at least one hen in the flock that will start to damage feathers.

Working for a dustbath: are hens increasing pleasure rather than reducing suffering?

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When hens are housed in cages, they are unable to dustbathe. The cause to dustbathing has been researched quite thoroughly over the years, while the importance of this behaviour to the hen is not yet known. Various trials have determined that hens have a need to dustbathe. This study examined a hen’s willingness to work to obtain dustbathing substrate by making her pass through a swinging door that has a certain amount of weight attached to it. The hens were trained to push through the door to gain access to peat moss. The goal of the study was to determine the maximum amount of weight a hen was willing to work against to gain access to the peat moss. Some hens were deprived access to any dustbathing materials in their cage and were compared to those whom were not. The hens that were deprived of dustbathing materials tended to push more weight and make more attempts to move the door than those that were given dustbathing materials. Those that were deprived of dustbathing material also performed significantly more dustbathing bouts when they accessed the peat moss, showing a motivation to dustbathe. This study found that even though deprived hens to have the motivation to dustbathe, they may not work to access the substrate if they recently have had an opportunity to dustbathe. This behaviour seems to more opportunistic than a need due to their willingness to work for the substrate.

Naturally Ventilated Pig Barns Come to Ontario

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Acre T farms based in Brussels is building new contract barns using naturally ventilated barn technology developed in the midwestern US. Electrical usage is low, barn construction is simple and maintenance/repairs are few. The barn is affordable to build. Barn ventilation is regulated based upon effective temperature and depends on pig size. Manure pits keep odour inside and rainwater out, reducing the volume of liquid that must be spread on nearby fields. Part of the improved knowledge going into these barns is their careful positioning to catch prevailing winds. The barn has several other operational advantages. Energy consumption is reduced greatly – 12 cents per pig place in the month of December compared to 39 cents per pig place in the standard fan barns with sandwich walls that Acre T now operates.

EVALUATION OF SPACE REQUIREMENTS FOR SWINE FINISHING FEEDERS

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Management of Swine Mating

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A high reproductive rate is essential to the success of most swine enterprises. When space in the nursery and growing-finishing facilities or farrowing crates are empty because of reproductive failure, the cost of that failure must be covered by those spaces that are occupied. Therefore, buildings must be occupied at 100% capacity for maximum return on investment. Producers should identify and incorporate a breeding herd program (involving both males and females) to consistently
achieve a conception rate, farrowing rate, and litter size that will ensure enough animals for all available space. This approach is especially important during times of low profit margins.

When choosing a mating system, producers should not base their choice strictly on the amount of time and labor that needs to be devoted to the system. Rather, each mating system should be evaluated in terms of what stands to be gained or lost in reproductive efficiency with the implementation of each
mating program. For many, the inherent problems associated with pen-mating and the long-term improvements in reproductive performance that are attainable make switching from a pen-mating system to an individual-mating system well worth the added time.

Environmental Engineering Challenges and Opportunities for the Pork Industry

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The Sask Pork Chair in environmental engineering for the pork industry was established at the Department of Agricultural and Bioresource Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan with the finacial support of SaskPork and the Prairie Swine Centre in 2000. Six different responsibilities and two major objectives were identified for that research position, the most important being the establishment and pursuit of a comprehensive research program focsued on manure management engineering. One of the main goals of the Chair position is to develop and validate a system engineering approach for issues and problems related to manure management engineering because of the increasing number of parameters that need to be considered in the selection of manure management systems. Another issue with the Chair is currently actively involved is the development and implementation of a National Standardized Environmental Management for the Canadian pork industry.

High Dietary Copper Improves Odor Charcteristics of Swine Waste

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Two experiments were conducted to determine the impact of dietary copper concentration and source on odor characteristics of swine waste. In both experiments, 192 weanling gilts an barrows were alotted 24 pens. Pen were randomly assinged to one of six dietary treatments consisting of control, 66 or 225 ppm Cu as CuSO4 or 33, 66, or 100 ppm Cu as cupric citrate. An antibiotic was added in the diets for experiment 1 but not 2. On day 28 fecal samples were randomly obtained from one pig per pen stored at -20 degrees Celsius until preparation and evaluation by an odor panel. The odor panel consisted of 10 individuals, and each panelist evaluated the odor intensity, irritation intensity, and odor quality of the air samples. In experiment 1 the odor and irritation intensity of the feces were lower from animals consuming 225 ppm Cu and 66 or 100 ppm as compared to the control. The odor quality of the waste from animals consuming diets containing and 66 or 100 ppm was impri=oved compared to the 33ppm treatment. In experiment 2, the odor intensity of the feces of the pigs receiving diets supplemented with all concentrations of Cu-citrate was lower than that of feces from the control animals. Irritation intensity of the feces was not affected by treatment. Odor quality of wase of pigs supplemented with 225 ppm Cu from copper sulfate and all concentrations of Cu-citrate was improved when compared tothat of wste of the control pigs.