Linking Lameness And Fertility

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch, Welfare by admin on March 5, 2012 | No Comments

Lameness could be an underlying cost to dairy producers which causes fertility problems. When a cow becomes lame it is being exposed to a stressor. Signals in the cows body will focus nutrients and energy on recovering or fighting the stressor. This will direct nutrients to focus on the immune system instead of reproduction, growth and milk production. Preventing lamness by early identification and treatment can be very beneficial to producers.

Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy Offers Digestible Energy Content Analysis of Barley

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on February 28, 2012 | No Comments

On February 28th 2012, on farmscape.ca radio, Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra of the University of Alberta discussed Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy to determine the digestible energy content of barley:

NIRS is a non-invasive way to test digestible energy content in barley. The technique has been used in the grain industry for some time to test moister and protein in various grains. This technology allows for producers to send samples to a lab for testing and learn the DEC of there barley that day. The test only takes a few minutes to preform in a lab setting with the proper equipment.

To listen to the interview click here: Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy Offers Digestible Energy Content Analysis of Barley

Effect of Olfactory Stimulation during Suckling on Agonistic Behaviour in Weaned Pigs

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on February 27, 2012 | No Comments

Research in Spain found that applying a banana sent to the mammary gland of a sow helps improve behavior and milk consumption amongst piglets. A test of 2 groups (control vs. Banana scented) found that the banana scented group was heavier at the time of weaning and had less aggressive behavior. After weaning the banana group showed less aggressive behavior but feed consumption and average daily gain were not different between the two groups .

Iowa State University releases animal‐ag research report

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on February 20, 2012 | No Comments

An annual report of research related to animal agriculture at Iowa State University is available online. The animal science department has included the research projects completed in 2011 for beef, dairy, horses, poultry, sheep, swine and companion animals.

New collar will allow farmers to monitor health of cows using mobile phone technology

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New technology will help farmers keep better track of there herd and help diagnose problems quicker. A cows collar will send a text message to the farmers mobile phone if a cow is going into heat, going into labour or in distress. This project is being taken on by several different groups from different backgrounds such as agriculture, technology and supermarket retail.

International Panel Identifies Priorities for Colic Research

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on February 18, 2012 | No Comments

At a recent symposium researchers released a report that stated their plan to research equine colic. The hope is to help vets diagnose, treat and prevent the disease.  Past symposiums have focused on spreading information about colic, as it is the most common cause of premature death in horses.

New Tools Under Development For Early Detection Of Lameness

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on February 16, 2012 | No Comments

There are new tools being worked on to help identify sow lameness. Lameness is a major reason for culling sows out of a herd. Also lameness leads to discomfort and stress in sows which may effect productivity. Tools that can detect lameness can help in the selection of gilts and help minimize the risks of lameness. These tools could have large economic implications for producers.

Tryptophan requirement of young, growing sows during pregnancy – ABSTRACT

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Accelerated conceptus growth in the last trimester may increase amino acid and energy requirements of pregnant sows. The objective of this study was to determine the Tryptophan (Trp) requirement in early (EG, d 35 to 53) and late (LG, d 92 to 111) gestation using the indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) method. It was found that the The Trp requirement was greater by 52% in LG (2.6 g/d) compared to EG (1.7 g/d). The increase in Phe retention from EG (2.94 g/d) to LG (8.28 g/d) agreed with a gain of 1 g/d N per fetus in LG and indicated that maternal protein gain was similar in EG and LG. Heat production was greater by 3% in LG compared to EG. Lipid retention decreased from EG to below zero in LG. Young sows strive to maintain fetal and maternal protein growth even if lipid retention becomes negative. This shows the importance of meeting amino acid requirements in late pregnancy.

Tryptophan requirement of gestating sows – ABSTRACT

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Amino acid requirements of sows may change from early (EG) to late (LG) gestation due to the accelerated growth of products of conceptus after d 70 of pregnancy. The objective of this study was to determine the Tryptophan requirement in EG (d 35 to 53) and LG (92 to 111) using the indicator amino acid oxidation method.  It was found that heat production and energy retention were not affected (P = 0.92) by Trp intake but increased and decreased, respectively from EG to LG. The changes in Trp requirement and energy retention during gestation cannot be adequately met by increasing the feed allowance of a single diet throughout pregnancy. Therefore, phase feeding of 2 diets with different Trp contents is necessary to balance Trp and energy intake with the changing Trp and energy requirements in pregnancy.

Tryptophan requirement of pregnant sows – ABSTRACT

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Amino acid (AA) requirements of sows may change from early (EG) to late (LG) gestation due to the accelerated growth of products of conceptus after d 70 of pregnancy. Because Tryptophan (Trp) is a co-limiting AA in corn-soy diets, this study was conducted to determine the Trp requirement in EG and LG using the indicator AA oxidation method.  It was found that the changes in Trp requirement and energy retention during gestation cannot be adequately met by increasing the feed allowance of a single diet throughout pregnancy. Therefore, phase feeding of 2 diets with different Trp contents is necessary to balance Trp and energy intake with the changing Trp and energy requirements in pregnancy.