Effects Of Stockperson Behaviour On Animal Welfare & Productivity

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on November 28, 2011 | No Comments

This article discusses a study looking at how a stockperson’s behavior can impact an animals heath, welfare and productivity. A study was done treating animals positively (patting, stroking,  and making slow movements) and treating animals negatively (hitting, yelling and making fast movements). Negatively handled animals are proven to have increased flight zones, weaker average daily gains, and higher chances of injury and mortality compared to positively handled animals. Training stockperson’s can significantly improve how animals are handled and react to humans.

LED lighting for poultry

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on November 22, 2011 | No Comments

LED lighting initially costs more than traditional lights but saves enough energy to offset the cost in the long run. Different LED lighting has different effects on chickens. Red light creates more pecking and excites birds, while blue and green lighting has a calming effect on them. A white light that slowly lights up in the morning and slowly shuts off in the evening, to mimic the rising and setting of the sun, had an effect on when birds would eat and reduced stress caused by lights flicking on and off.

Effect of Sow History on the Performance of Growing-Finishing Pigs

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on November 21, 2011 | No Comments

A study was done to find out how a sows early life growth rate and feed intake was passed on to the sows offspring in the grower-finisher stages. The results found that sow traits have an effect on offspring but not enough to explain the vast differences in growth rate and feed intake bewteen pigs.

Cranky Cows A Growing Problem For Oz Farmers

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on November 18, 2011 | No Comments

In Australia ‘cranky cows’ are often assumed to be cranky because of heat, dogs, or other external factors irritating the cows. In fact the irritation comes from toxins produced by rye grass endophyte. Cranky cow syndrome is said to cause staggers, heat stress and reduce milk production. There is no known way to end problems with the rye grass toxins, but a new microtoxin binder has been able to reduce the effects.

Innovation: Self-closing feeding pens for sows in group housing

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

A study found that sow housing had the best results when sows had a wide run behind them. With this information and a desire to keep construction costs down, Van der Lee Stalinrichting has created a self closing feeding pen. This new pen gives sows more room to move behind the pen and make sows easily accessible for barn workers.

Seeking Better Alternative Housing Systems for Poultry

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on November 12, 2011 | No Comments

This article talks about some alternative housing methods for meat and egg producing chickens. There are pros and cons of keeping chickens in a group as opposed isolation. There are benefits and drawbacks of keeping chickens outdoors. The article talks about potential enrichments to meat chickens. The ideal housing system that satisfies consumers and producers is still to be determined.  

Hen welfare, egg safety consequences of outdoor access

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on November 11, 2011 | No Comments

This article discusses some of the negative effects of raising free range chickens. The article says studies have varying results on mortality rates of outdoor housing vs. confined housing methods. The article discusses the likeliness of diseases in indoor and outdoor housing. The article questions if outdoor housing complies with the five freedoms of animal welfare. Also the article takes an extensive look into egg safety in outdoor operations.

Centred on Swine Volume 15

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on November 10, 2011 | No Comments

Individual articles in these issues of Centred on Swine are located in our PorkInsight Database.

Volume 15 Number 2

• Benchmarking – The Right Tool for the Times
• Nutritional Value of Flaxseed for Swine and Its Effects on Carcass Fatty Acid Profile
• Whittington Honoured for Industry Leadership
• Comparative Evaluation of Infrared Radiant and Forced-Air Convection Heating Systems for Hog Barns
• Free Space Utilization of Sows in Free Access Stalls
• Common Misconceptions in Benchmarking

Volume 15 Number 1

• Message from the President
• Evaluating Energy Usage and Various Energy Conservation Strategies for Swine Barns
• Net Energy Contect of Canola Meal and Full-Fat Canola Seeds in Swine
• Transportation of Pigs in Western Canada:  Temperatures Within Trucks During Winter and Summer Months
• Ractopamine Hydrochloride and the Environmental Sustainability of Pork Production
• Feeding the 2009 Crop
• The Plant Extract Micro-Aid, has Unexpected Effects on Litter Size

Biomechanical Compromises and Constraints on Locomotion and

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

Chickens have been getting bigger faster over the past decades. This article discusses a proposed study that would fight obese lameness and breathing problems as a result of chickens having to much body mass. The proposed study is based on four years of research and the researchers are set to make breakthroughs in how chickens are raised. This new research will try to improve chicken welfare while maintaining output levels.

Identification of key performance indicators for on-farm animal welfare incidents: possible tools for early warning and prevention

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on November 8, 2011 | No Comments

This article discusses a study that tried to find key performance indicators in animals to help improve early warning signs of welfare issues. Studies were carried out on 18 different herds using old data to see what was happening leading up to the welfare incident.