Assessing Trailer Cleanliness

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Production by student on June 19, 2018 | No Comments

Author:  Ken Engele, BSA. Prairie Swine Centre

Publication: Centred on Swine, Spring 2018 Volume 24 Number 1

Summary: In order to maintain effective biosecurity it is essential that proper washing and disinfection of the transport trailers occurs. Recent studies have focused on the use of ATP bioluminescence for the inspection of the trailers. Traditionally, microbiological culture method can be used but this takes time as it utilizes plated media. Beneficially ATP bioluminescence displays results in only minutes. A study was done that tested a minimum of 10 trailers per week at two different locations. Through this study a list was developed depicting the advantages and disadvantages of ATP bioluminescence.

Assessing Trailer Cleanliness

Of the two facilities that participated in the study, one will continue to utilize ATP bioluminescence during trailer inspection.

Fermented soybean meal for newly weaned piglets

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Production by student on June 12, 2018 | No Comments

Authors: A.D. Beaulieu, A.G. van Kessel, P. Leterme, and D. Gillis

Centred on Swine Spring 2017, Volume 23, Number 1

Summary: Due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors soybean is limited in its inclusion in young piglet diets. Fermentation of soybean meal has been shown to effectively remove the tryspin inhibitors. This study compared the effects of feeding soybean mean and fermented soybean meal to piglets. When comparing piglets who received soybean meal to those who has received fermented soybean meal it is evident that the piglets consuming the fermented soybean meal had a reduced body weight.  The diet that was included soybean meal also demonstrated the highest average daily gain. From this study they concluded that there is no advantage of using fermented soybean meal to using soybean meal. They also concluded that more research has to be done pertaining to the palatability of fermented soybean meal.

Fermented Soybean for Newly Weaned Pigs

Grower/Finisher Feeders: Design, Behavior and Performance

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Authors: H.W. Gonyou and Z. Lou

February 28, 1998

Summary: Researchers categorized commercial feeders into four groups which were analyzed for their influence on different style. It was determined that anything smaller than 34 cm restricted market pigs and larger than 39 cm allowed for two smaller pigs to feed at the same time. They also anaylzed the effect of different feeder types on feed intake and average daily gain (ADG). It was apparent that feed intake and ADG were 5% higher in wet/dry feeder than the dry feeders. Feed efficiency did not differ among any of the different types of feeders. When feeders provided protection for the pigs it resulted in the pigs being removed by other pigs through force. All feeders were in the range of 2-5.8% for spillage with no statistical differences between the different feeders. It was also concluded that pigs eating wet feed ate at a rate 3 times faster than those consuming dry feed.

Through the use of an adjustable feeder (adjustments could be made to lip height, feeder depth, width and feeding shelf height), they determined that the depth of the feeder had  the most significant influence on the amount of times the pigs stepped into the feeder. It was also concluded that pigs prefer to feed at an angle of 30°.

Grower-Finisher Feeders – Design, Behaviour and Performance

Determining the Optimum Stocking Density in Nursery Pigs

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Production by student on June 11, 2018 | No Comments

This study addresses concerns surrounding space allowance in nursery pigs to establish the critical cut off points at which crowding occurs. This study was divided into phase one and phase two. Phase one taking place in the Nursery barn at Prairie Swine center. In phase one the results found that during the summer months there was no significant differences found in growth and immune responses between the two densities (10 and 40 pigs). However, there were significant effects for body positioning with regards to density. More pigs were found sitting at lower space allowances and also spent more time eating. Further analysis correlating growth and physiology measures will help interpret the importance of these changes for piglet health and welfare. Phase two of the trial will focus on two commercial operations and apply a similar concept.

Determining the Optimum Stocking Density in Nursery Pigs – 2017

Determining Effective Enrichments for Group Housed Sows

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Modern production practices place limitation on pig’s ability to partake in highly motivated behaviors such as rooting and exploring. Enrichment allows changes to occur that are intended to increase the range of normal behaviors ultimately improving the biological functioning and well-being of the animal. In Canada, the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of pigs requires the provision of enrichment. When looking at slatted concrete pens there is a lack of effective environmental enrichment options for sows. In this study it was concluded that when enrichment was rotated (Rotation and Stimulus treatments) sows spent more time near enrichments and were more active than when Constant enrichment or Control treatments were provided. Based on this initial analysis the sound stimulus appeared to have no significant effect. Although the straw enrichment produced the greatest response, sows also made use of rope and wood on chain enrichments, and no adverse effects were found for sows or manure management indicating their suitability as enrichment materials for group-housed sows.

Determining Effective Enrichments for Group Housed Sows – 2017

Practical Alternatives for Managing Castration Pain in Piglets

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Castration is a procedure completed on male piglets to prevent the development of boar taint, which is an unpleasant smell and odor in pork from males. There are a couple objectives outlined in this experiment, to identify which analgesics will provide optimal pain relief to piglets, at what age castration should be performed to minimize stress and production losses in piglets, determine if the timing of drug administration affects piglets’ pain responses following castration and whether provision of oral sucrose prior to an analgesic can provide measurable benefits to pigs during the initial pain of castration. Behavioral observations were used to determine pain in castrated piglets. The effectiveness of the different analgesics was determined by the piglet’s ability to navigate a chute unaided. A decreased sensation of pain felt by the piglets corresponded to the piglet’s more quickly navigating the chute. This experiment determined that of the three analgesics used, meloxicam, ketoprofen and paracetamol, ketoprofen displayed the most positive effects. This conclusion was made due to the quicker response time for the piglets when navigating the chute. However, when comparing castrated piglets to those who had sham castrations there was no significant difference in chute navigation time.  There is no definite cause for this; however it is believed to be a result of handling stress or an additional environmental stress.

Practical Alternatives for Managing Castration Pain in Piglets – 2017

Cleaning Ease and Animal Welfare Implications of Trailer Design

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When effectively mitigating the transmission of disease in the swine industry it is vital that farms maintain a thorough biosecurity protocol. However, even the best maintain protocols have gaps, especially when it comes to transportation. The aim of this study was to develop a list of commonly used trailers to transport market hogs in Canada which were ranked on their cleaning ease and animal handling and welfare characteristics. Commonly used trailers in Canada include: a double deck potbelly trailer with a belly rail installed between the pot and top deck, straight deck trailers, quad deck trailers and the newly introduced Pezzaioli trailer. Pot belly trailers are currently the most commonly used trailer in Canada due to their versatility, high load capacity and relatively light weight. However, these trailers pose the most strain during animal handling and are the most difficult to clean. There are alternative designs that are easier to clean and provide better animal handling characteristics, but these designs are less versatile, heavier and have a reduced load capacity.

Cleaning Ease and Animal Welfare Implications of Trailer Design – 2017

Influence of Sow Lactation Feeding System on Sow and Piglet Performance

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Electronic Feeding Systems (EFS) have many advantages when comparing them to manual feeding options, including collection of feed intake data, delivery of fresh feed and reducing feed wastage. This study looked at the implications of a modified feeding system on the performance of the sow and piglet during lactation. Being as feed costs are the largest expense that producers face, generally between 50-70% of the total cost of production, it is important to consider ways in which these costs can be reduced. When comparing manual feeding to both an EFS and a modified feeding system this study determined that all three systems resulted in similar performance from the sow and piglet. However, when looking at feed disappearance it was evident that both the ESF and the modified feeding system had reduced feed intake compared to that of the manual feeding system. The ESF and modified feeding system reduced feed disappearance on average by 19.7%. Through the use of economic analysis it was determined that by implementing one of these systems producers would save $8.50/sow/lactation. This study did not consider the cost of maintenance during the economic analysis.

Influence of Sow Lactation Feeding System on Sow and Piglet Performance – 2017

Spray Dried Bovine Plasma for DON Contaminated Nursery Diets

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Spray Dried Porcine Plasma has been effectively shown to mitigate the effects of the mycotoxin DON, however due to its association with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PED) producers have discontinued its use. This study evaluated the effect of Spray Dried Bovine Plasma (SDBP) and DON when included in the diet on feed intake, growth performance and gut health within newly weaned pigs. This experiment resulted in contradictory findings to that of previous studies indicating that further research is required. However, this study did display that DON is responsible for detrimental effects on ADFI and to a lesser extent on ADG. When combined with DON, SDBP was determined to have a beneficial effect on ADFI but did not affect ADG.

Spray Dried Bovine Plasma for DON Contaminated Nursery Diets – 2017

Reducing Energy Use in Group Sow Housing Systems

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Traditionally, sow housing systems are maintained at the Lower Critical Limit (LCT) of approximately 16.5°C, dropping below this can have significant effects on the productivity and health status of the sow. This experiment studied the interaction between group housing, high heat-increment diets, and the sows ability to control temperature to potentially reduce energy usage in production. Group housing allows for some thermoregulation by the sow, thus allowing them to be housed in temperatures lower than the LCT. An operant mechanism was developed for this experiment that allowed the sows to control their own temperature by a manual control switch. Within this experiment sows were fed two diets, one with a high heat increment and a standard gestation diet. When looking at the sows fed the high heat increment diet they maintain a lower temperature in both a chamber (experimental room) and in an actual gestation room. In the chamber they maintained a temperature of around 11.9°C and in the gestation room a temperature as low as 8°C. In addition to maintaining a lower temperature, within the sow controlled room (as opposed to a preset room), a lower CO₂ concentration was observed demonstrating a better air quality. Allowing sows to control their own temperature resulted in around 75% less natural gas consumption and 11% less electricity consumption. This decrease in consumption could translate into as much as a 59% decrease in the overall cost of heating and electricity.

Reducing Energy Use in Group Sow Housing Systems – 2017