Conceptus development during blastocyst elongation in lines of pigs selected for increased uterine capacity or ovulation rate

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This study evaluated conceptus development during blastocyst elongation as a potential contributing factor to differences in survival rate among piglets from different pig lines. The study found that differences between the lines of pigs in conceptus development during blastocyst elongation is limited. This suggests that mechanisms involved in generating the differences in survival rate are likely manifested later in the gestation period.

Physiological and immunological responses to weaning and transport in the young pig: Modulation by administration of porcine somatotropin

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This study examined the effects of exongenous procine (pST) on measures of stress and immune function in weaned pigs with or without transport. It was concluded that improved immune function in weaned pigs by pST may lead to greater health and growth in a commercial setting.

Effect of lecithin with or without chitooligosaccharide on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites and pork quality of finishing pigs

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Two
experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary lecithin with or without chitooligosaccharide (COS) on the
performance, blood metabolites, pork cholesterol, fatty acid composition and quality of finishing pigs. In exp. 1, 36 pigs
(Landrace x Yorkshire x Duroc, 84.590.60 kg initial body weight) were fed lecithin at 0, 2.5 or 5.0% of the diet. Lecithin
improved average daily gain (16%) and feed conversion ratio, and did not affect apparent nutrient digestibility. On day 28,
lecithin decreased serum total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (34 and 77%, P=0.016), and increased serum
triglyceride (P=0.048). Lecithin did not affect carcass characteristics and pork quality, but increased myristic and alinolenic
acid and reduced palmitoleic acid in pork. Experiment 2 involved 108 pigs (85 ± 0.76 kg initial body weight) in a
2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments, wherein two levels of lecithin (low, 2.5 and high, 5.0%) and COS (0.0 and 0.1%)
were used. Addition of COS in diets containing lecithin reduced pork cholesterol (16.4%) and oleic acid (28.3%), and did
not affect performance, nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites and pork quality. In conclusion, these results suggest that
lecithin improved the growth performance of finishing pigs and inclusion of COS reduced the amount of cholesterol in
pork.

Benchmarking and Cost – Production Relationships

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Agri Stats is a privately held company that provides professional benchmarking services to the commercial livestock industries. Currently, benchmarking services are provided for broiler, eggs, turkey, and swine production companies as well as their slaughtering and processing plants. Agri Stats started in the mid 1980’s with broiler benchmarking services. There are now twenty-one international companies participating in Agri Stats with the majority of those located in Canada and South America. Agri Stats collects participant financial and production data electronically each month. Internal auditors convert the data, prepare it for comparison and perform the monthly audits. Each company’s costs and financials are reconciled to their general ledger. Participants receive monthly detailed reports and performance summaries that allow them to compare their performance to other participants, the average of all companies and the top 25%. Current month, current quarter and previous twelve-month periods are reported. Each monthly report contains eight sections for analysis and comparison: Performance Summary, Feed Mill, Ingredient Purchasing, Nursery, Finishing, Market Haul and Profit. Benchmarking is simply the act of comparing data to improve performance. It can be and is done in various industries or in personal life. Businesses participate in formalized benchmarking to improve their performance, production and/or products. One benefit of benchmarking is that it contributes to the ability to see outside personal or professional practices. Benchmarking helps open the window to allow visualization of what individuals, companies and/or competitors are doing and how one compares to them. Effective benchmarking breaks this paradigm blindness and leads to creation of practices or processes that improve performance. Now that we realize the purpose and benefits of benchmarking, we should be able to agree upon its uses in the swine industry. In fact, it is used in various forms. These could range from simple production comparisons to elaborate and sophisticated total production and financial comparisons. Each and every commercial swine operation is encouraged to participate in some benchmarking effort; however, the ultimate goal is increasing profitability – not always increasing the level of production. Companies with higher feed costs/ton made it in the Top 25% list by being efficient and having advantages in other areas. The bottom line take home message is that a swine production company or entity needs to be aware of their advantages and disadvantages so they may properly position strengths and allocate efforts for improvement. Current challenges facing the Canadian swine industry do not appear to be improving as evidenced by increasing cost disadvantages compared to the US. Canadian participants achieve higher production levels than their counterparts in the US but are more severely challenged with higher costs. Recent trends indicate the production gap may be reducing. This primarily is due to declines in Canadian production at the same time as US numbers have improved. Higher production levels do not guarantee lower costs. Swine production companies need to be able to measure their strengths and advantages in order to focus efforts on lowering costs and improving profitability. Benchmarking is an effective tool for identification of strengths and opportunities as well as measuring progress and trends. Each swine production company should be participating in some type of benchmarking. To gain maximum benefit, production, cost and financial performance should all be part of the benchmarking program.

Effect of sodium butyrate on growth performance and response to lipopolysaccharide in weanling pigs

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Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of dietary sodium butyrate on growth performance and response to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in weanling pigs. In the first experiment there was no effect of dietary sodium butyrate or tylosin on overall G:F, but there was a decreasing ADFI and ADG as levels increased. In the second experiment it was found that feeding diets containing sodium butyrate or carbadox did not alter ADG or ADFI compared with pigs fed the control diet. This indicates that dietary sodium butyrate does not enhance growth performance but may regulate the response to inflammatory stimuli in weanling pigs.

Transport of early weaned piglets

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Temperature and duration of transport have additive effects and put piglets at risk for dehydration, low
feed consumption and fatigue. Every effort should be made to avoid transport at temperatures above 30°C and to provide sufficient protection in winter. More studies of transport of early weaned piglets are required,
especially complimentary studies utilizing physiological measurements.

Comparison of ileal apparent, standardized and true digestibilities of amino acids in pigs fed wheat and lupine seeds

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Genetic correlations between gestation length, piglet survival and early growth

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The first aim of this study was to estimate the genetic effects of the piglets and the sow on gestation length. The second aim was to estimate genetic correlations between gestation length, piglet survival and average piglet growth. It was concluded that in pigs, gestation length is influenced by the genotypes of both the piglets and the sow. Selection or longer gestation would probably improve piglet survival after birth as well as piglet growth. It might, however, also result in more stillborn piglets.

Viable treatments for coccidiosis prove elusive, study shows

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In the most recent study, carried out on three farms
between May and September of 2007, fecal samples were
collected from 218 randomly selected pigs. Weights were
recorded weekly up to eight weeks of age from the 218
pigs and 467 litter mates. “Quite surprisingly,” the study’s final
report states, “at four weeks of age, pigs that were detected
positive for coccidia at two or three weeks of age were an average of 435 grams lighter than pigs that originated from
litters that were negative for coccidia.”
Similarly, at five weeks, pigs from positive litters were an
average 703 grams lighter than pigs which tested negative
for coccidia, although at eight weeks there was no difference
in weights between pigs that had had the parasite and
those that did not.
Of the most practical significance to producers this study found that farms not using detergent to clean
the farrowing crate environment were 1.7 times more
likely to be positive for coccidia than farms that do use
detergent.” However, he noted that the use of disinfectant
in the farrowing crate environment did not affect the risk
of coccidia.

Feeder Use Patterns in Group-Housed Pregnant Sows Fed With an Unprotected Electronic Sow Feeder (Fitmix)

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This study used data recorded by Fitmix feeders in three different stable
groups of pregnant sows to study (a) variations in the feeder use over time, (b)
circadian variations in the feeder use, (c) the consistency of the feeder order,
and (d) the effects of dominance rank on feeder use. Sixty Large White X Landrace female pigs (Sus scrofa) from first to eighth parity were selected on a commercial farm with high health status (PRRS and Aujeszky free). It was found that the lack of protection while feeding in Fitmix made sows split their ration in several visits. On the other hand, this fact also seemed to increase efficiency by reducing nonfeeding occupation of the feeder. Optimization of the feeder efficiency took several weeks. However, a rank-related feeder order was quickly established and maintained over time. The establishment of a feeder order may ameliorate disturbances around the feeder and help stockmanship to detect
problems. Nevertheless, these conclusions should not be extrapolated to different ESF designs, larger group sizes, or dynamic groups.