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Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
The threonine requirement of the sow in lactation
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on January 1, 1999 | No Comments
Threonine is often the second limiting amino acid in most practical swine diets. Therefore, the threonine requirement of the high producing sow in lactation was determined in this study. Using a total of 419 C-15 PIC sows, the threonine requirement to minimize sow tissue breakdown was found to be 37.3, 40.0 and 38.9 g total threonine/d (28.7, 30.8 and 30.0 g digestible threonin/d) for parity 1, 2 and3+ sows, respectively. To maximize litter growth, the threonine requirement was found to be 36.6, 39.2 and 38.2 g total threonine/d (28.2, 30.2 and 29.5 g digestible threonine/d) for parity 1, 2 and 3+ sows, respectively.
Tail docking and beliefs about the practice in the Victorian dairy industry.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Relationship between leg disorders and changes in the behaviour of broiler chickens.
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Animal ethics and animal welfare: bridging the two cultures
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
The study of animal welfare and animal ethics, by scientists and philosophers, respectively, has had a common goal since the 1970s. Both areas of study strive to understand and express the proper type of relationship that should exist between humans and animals. However, with very little communication between the two groups, different concepts, assumptions, and vocabulary have emerged. In a sense, the two groups became two ‘cultures’. Some philosophers have obstructed the advancement by scientists because they tended to: focus on the individual as opposed to the population or species, promote single ethical principles rather than considering conflicting principles, dismiss the traditional ethics of care, responsibility and community with animals, only use ethical theory to find solutions (with little regard for empirical knowledge), to use single moral categories to cover different taxonomic groups, and to propose blanket solutions to a variety of animal use practices. On the other hand, ethicists did not accept the views of some scientists. Some scientists were proponents that subjective experiences and suffering could not be measured scientifically, and that welfare could be measured only as an empirical concept. However, there are some ethicists that have used the empirical results of animal welfare research to resolve animal ethics issues. This work uses more concrete notions (that could be analyzed scientifically) to express moral concerns about animals, places value on the traditional ethics of care, responsibility and community with animals, understands that good and bad animal use practices can be discriminated between using empirical analysis, and recognizes that different types and levels of ethical concern are required for different taxonomic groups. Similarly, the methods used by some animal welfare scientists have become more compatible with the methods of some ethicists. Such scientists are becoming more interested in the scientific study of subjective states of animals and the relationship of normative and empirical components in the assessment of animal welfare. A more integrated field of study may result as the scientific and philosophical approaches continue to converge. Also, as the cultures continue to converge, both empirical information and ethical reflection will be used to provide better answers to questions about the proper relationship between humans and animals.
Effect of Manue Pit Additve on the Reduction of Ammonia Emission from Large Swine Finishing Buildings
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The effect of Alliance, a manure pit additive was tested in 4 commercial grow-finish barns for a period of 6 months. This ammednment produced an average 24.2% reduction in ammonia levels relative to the control. The treatments saw a range of 12.5 – 27.3% reduction in amonia concentration over both trials.. With the use of this pit amendment it was also noted the importance of keeping the floor as dry and clean as possible. Ammonia reduction rates were found to be greater in the second trial by approximately 10%, this difference may be realted to the season variation of gas emissions from swine buildings. There was evidence of dilution with the addition of the pit amendment. However, the addition of the pit additive did not affect th pH of the manure. As a result the lower concentration of ammonia in the traeted buildings may have contributed to the lower ammonia emissions.
Testing a Field-Scale Manure Composting System
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A in-vessel composter with forced aeration and mechanical turning was set up and evaluated at Ridgetown College, University of Guelph. During the first week, manure is added to a substrate (corn cobs, barley straw, wood chips, tree leaves, or any combination of the preceding) until a desirable mositure ocndition of 55% – 70% is achieved. The ratio, by weight of liquid manure to substrate was 2.4:1 to 6.9:1 for straw, and was lower fir wood fibre and corn cobs. Odour dterminationwas made on a subjective basis, using staff that worked in the building. The composting system and the method in which liquid manure was added to the system contributed to an environment where there was seldom any evidence of liquid manure odours.
Production and Emission of Odours and Gases from Ageing Pig Waste
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A National Cirriculum fo Addressing Livestock Environmental Issues
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Increasing contrvesy surrounding existing and proposed livestock operations is increasing in nature. A 1998 USDA survey of 35 states found 31 of these states are experiencing contraversy and 30 states have reported increased conflict and media attention. The National Cirriculum, funded by the USDA and EPA is designed to support producer certification and education programs designed to encourage sustainable livestock systems. A core cirriculum addressing environmental awareness, design and management options and regulatory compliance is related to four topics: 1) manure storage systems 2) land and nutrient management 3) air quality 4) alternative strategies and treatment technologies. The cirriculum will be reviewed with the pilot being tested regionally, and livestock industry information providers will access the core cirriculum through five regionally sponsored inservice programs. The three year project started in April 1999, with the focus on year 1 being the development of the cirriculum. The focus of year 2 will be the assesing and evaluating the pilot programs at 5 regional sites. The final year focuses on the training of potential information providers through regional training programs, with program completion coming in fall 2001.