Relationship Between the Incidence of Ascites and Ventilation in Broiler

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on October 27, 2011 | No Comments

A study was done to find a relationship between ventilation and ascites syndrome in broiler chickens. By improving ventilation in poultry houses researchers were able to reduce the cases of ascites syndrome from 4-7% to 1-1.5%. The researches concluded that improving ventilation can improve the ascites syndrome levels in poultry houses.

Biomarkers Predict Optimal Resting Time for Pigs before Slaughter

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A study was done to find the optimal slaughter time for pigs which would result in the best meat quality. Pigs were required to run around to simulate stress and given different resting times before they were slaughtered. By examining metabolic proteome it was found that exercise increased muscle stress (making the meat tougher) but the effects could be reversed by resting. It was also found that to much rest had a negative effect on meat quality.

Transport effects and shrink

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on October 25, 2011 | No Comments

Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein and others carried out a study of 6000 long haul cattle trucks to find out the effects time-on-truck has on cattle. They found an average time-on-truck of 16 hours, and an average shrink of 5.3%. Fat cattle were less effected by time-on-truck compared to feeders, calves and cull cows.  The study also shows the econmic loss from shrink using a temperature-humidity-index.

Enhancement of Immune Response in Piglets

Posted in: Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on October 22, 2011 | No Comments

This study looks at the variation in immune response (IR) of pigs in different litters and individual pigs. This variation may influence the IR to infectious disease and allergens as well as to vaccination. Intervention may have the potential to favorably alter immune response capability in newborn piglets which can induce lifetime benefit in general health. This study attempts to find out if controlled prophylactic exposure of neonates to safe microbial stimuli in the form of injected heat-killed bacteria will balance the immune system response. Heat-killed E.coli or bacterial derivatives lipopolysacharide (LPS) or muramyl dipeptide (MDP) were given by intramuscular injection (im) on each of days 1-7 of life or the live probiotic Lactococcus lactis (LL) was given orally on days 1-7, 10, 12, 14, 21, 28 & 35. Pigs were then given the egg allergen ovomucoid (Ovm) to trigger the immune system. Treatment with LPS significantly reduced frequency of allergic signs while MDP increased frequency. Neither treatment altered severity of signs. There was no significant effect of E.coli treatment on frequency or severity of clinical signs of allergy. The results confirmed that all the treatments can modulate IR in newborn pigs. Treatment of newborns with LL was able to significantly induce a type 1 immune response.

Pre-fresh, maternity and post-fresh space: Getting the numbers right

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on October 19, 2011 | No Comments

This article discusses the proper handling techniques a diary cow should receive leading up to, during and after giving birth to a calf. The article talks about the proper stall size the cow should be housed in during each stage of pregnancy. Also the article discusses the pros and cons of different housing methods.

Housing plays a critical role in calf welfare

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

Young dairy calves have underdeveloped immune systems which makes them vulnerable to diseases. Using proper housing techniques can reduce the risk of illness and improve calf welfare.  Air quality, ventilation, pen design, and bedding are all areas of housing that can cause illness in a calf if not dealt with properly.

Making the most of weaning

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on October 14, 2011 | No Comments

This article discusses the importance of weaning techniques in cattle. 30-45 days after being weaned a calf endures a lot of stress and is vuneralble to things like respiratory diseases which can result in death or a lower valued carcass. A new diet for weaned calves should be phased in gradually to allow the calve’s stomach to adapt to new feedstuffs. The article also provides a management checklist for making weaning less stressful.

Lentils Shown Effective in Weanling Pig Diets

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On October 14th 2011, on farmscape.ca radio, Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra of the University of Alberta discussed the effects of lentils in diets:

Due to excess lentils after the 2010 harvest, tests were carried out by the University of Alberta to see the effectiveness of lentils in weanling pig diets. Results show that a diet with up to 20% lentils had no negative effect on pig performance. Lentils are members of legume family meaning the have very high protein and energy levels but have anti-nutritional factors like phytic acids.

“So we basically wanted to have a look at how pigs would react to switching the nutritional profile and make sure that there were no negative responses relative to the anti-nutritional factors”.

To hear the interview click here: Lentils Shown Effective in Weanling Pig Diets

Intensity of Oestrus Signalling Is the Most Relevant Indicator for Animal Well-Being in High-Producing Dairy Cows

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

This article provides a link and introduction to a research article that found negative effects in cows who were forced to increase their production to keep up with demand. Higher producing cows were found to have slower herd reproduction rates.

Assessing learning and memory in pigs

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In recent years there has been increasing interest in pig cognition because of the similarity of the pigs brain to the human brain. Several studies will be done to quantify previously studied information about the memory and learning abilities of pigs.