Assessment of individual differences in behavioural reactions of heifers exposed to various fear-eliciting situations.

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Aviary systems and conventional cages for laying hens.

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The Nurtinger System – A Natural System for Keeping Pigs

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The principle of the Nurtingen system is to surround the pigs body with air like a blanket, while the head is lying in the cold, breathing fresh air. The bed is made of rigid polyurethane and is therefore hygienic, well insulated and very stable. The warm air is coming out of a heater which is installed in the top plate of the bed. Because the pigs will only want to have their bodies in the warm air, they will lie with their heads outside the entrance. Lying in this fashion, the animals satisfy their need for warm amd fresh air. As the bed provides a warm, draft free place for the piglets to rest, the air in the sty can be kept cooler and fresher. Heating costs can be kept very low. You don’t need a heater for finishing pigs, as they warm up their beds from the beginning themselves. A reduction in total losses and an increase in the litter rearing weight in the suckling phase can be realized. The Nurtingen System is much more economical and fair to the animals.

Dust control strategies for livestock buildings- a review.

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Dust in animal buildings should be controlled to levels that affect health only minimally. Dust control strategies include reducing the rate of emission (source control), effective ventilation (ventilation control), and air cleaning (removal control). Source control strategies include use of feed additives, cleaning dusty surfaces and spraying water or oil over dusty surfaces. Ventilation control includes purge ventilation and effective room air distribution. Air cleaning strategies involve filtration, electrostatic precipitation, or wet scrubbing. Promising techniques for livestock buildings include the use of feed additives, oil or water spraying, purge ventilation, and effective room air distribution. Technical and economic constraints have prevented these methods from being widely practiced. Effective and economically feasible dust control methods should be developed and systematically tested under both controlled laboratory needs include: (1) characterization of dust particles, dust sources and sinks; and (2) development of sensors and control devices that incorporate the dust control technology into the environmental control system.

Le lecteur d'azote AGROS: evaluation d'une methode rapide de determination in situ de l'azote ammoniacal des lisiers et des fumiers

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The manure managed and spread correctly allow for optimal used of the fertilizer elements without any harm to the environment. Part of this management is the evaluation of the nitrogen content of the manure in order to determine the optimal application rate. Laboratory testing can be realized in advance, however even if the manure is well mixed the homogeneity of the nutrients content can differ from one load to subsequent ones. The determination of the nitrogen content just before spreading would improve the nutrient management and optimize the fertilizing value of the manure and would also improve the confidence producers have in the valorization of manure they spread on their lands. The soil hygrometer has been used to estimate different constituent in manure. However this method gives poor estimates for ammoniacal nitrogen (NH4). A nitrogen measurer AGROS has been developed in Sweden. AGROS has been tested on site and compared with the soil hygrometer and standard laboratory testing. For swine manure, AGROS has been very reliable in evaluating the NH4 content, as good as laboratory testing and superior to the hygrometer technique. A relationship established with laboratory tests can be made to estimate the total nitrogen content of the manure. The cost of an analysis with this measurer is evaluated at $2,00 to $4,50 compared to $25,00 for laboratory testing. No calibration is necessary and the reading of the NH4 content is direct.

Direct measures of the nitrogen content in the manure could help adjust the application rate when spreading or in case the nitrogen is not the limiting nutrients in the manure, this result would help in the determination of the mineral nitrogen needed to assure an optimal fertilization.

Evaluation d'un systeme de separation feces-urines en levage porcin.

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A continuous net placed under the slatted floor filtrate the feces from the urine. Different testing have realized in order to determine the optimum operations parameter such as the net mesh size (optimum size 800 microns), the correct location for the net under the slatted floor and its dimension (depending on the position of the equipment and production pattern). The solid phase removed using this system is of 26% of dry matter and the liquid part is of 2%. The solid part can be composted (and disposed later) and the liquid can be spread on grass or land as a fertilizer. No information on the economics of such system is not given. Such system could be considered if a lot of manure hauling has to be done on long distances. The liquids could be spread close to the storage facility and the solids of smaller volume and more concentrated per volume could be transported and used as a fertilizer further from the farm. The lower cost in transportation could compensate for the cost of such separation system.

Zeolite as feed additive to control swine manure odours and to improve animal growth performance

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Zeolite was used as a feed additive (addition of 5% zeolite) and its effect was verified on swine manure odours and hogs growth performances improvements in an experiment realized on 54 grower hogs. Zeolite is a tektosilicate and was obtained from southern Alberta. This compound is found in volcanic deposits and exhibits a cation retention capacity (CEC) of 400 meq /100g. The group of 54 weaners (average 18.6 kg) was separated equally in two and placed in different rooms, with a control group fed a 16% crude protein pelleted standard feed and the other group fed the same diet supplemented with 5% zeolite. The animals’ weight was measured regularly and the given feed was weighed daily. NH3, CO2 and H2S levels were measured regularly in both rooms and manure samples were taken for nitrogen content analysis. The results are given for the first 4 weeks for the hogs performances: the hogs fed the zeolite diet didn’t significantly grow at a faster rate but showed a significant improvement in the feed conversion compared to the control group (2.2 kg feed/ kg body weight vs. 2.75 kg/kg). In both rooms, the H2S concentrations were not high enough to be measured. The NH3 levels measured were lower in the room were the zeolite fed hogs were for the 5 first weeks of experiment. This experiment was continued until hogs had reach market weight.

The title suggest that this experiment evaluated the odours to compared the air in the rooms of the hogs fed zeolite supplemented feed and the control group fed standard diet. However, testing were done on only 3 gases and 2 of them being odours components therefore comments can be made on the difference on those gases concentrations but not on the odour. The results presented only the 4 and 5 first week which give and idea on the zeolite possibilities but could not be considered for the whole growing and finishing periods as the hogs’ nutritional needs change.

REDUCING NITROUS OXIDE GAS EMISSIONS FROM FILL-AND-DRAW TYPE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS

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Animal welfare on dairy farms.

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The Edinburgh Modified Cage for laying hens.

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