Determination of Pregnancy and Estimation of Litter Size before day 30 of gestation based on blood hormones

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 1995 | No Comments

Profitable production of pork depends to a significant extent on the number of piglets born and raised by each gilt or sow introduced into the breeding herd. A sow that does not conceive or has a small litter will reduce potential profit. Determination of pregnancy by ultrasonic echo amplitude is quite accurate from about day 30 to day 55 but gives essentially no indication of potential litter size. Analysis by real time ultrasound later in gestation can give some indication of the potential litter size but is expensive, requires much time and a certain measure of skill. Each fetus produces hormones as early as day 15. These hormones can be detected in the sow=s blood beginning about day 18. The concentration of the hormones rises very rapidly from day 18 to day 28 and then declines sharply. Each fetus adds to the hormone concentration so that the concentration is influenced not only by the day of gestation on which a blood sample is taken but also on the number of fetuses contributing to the concentration of the hormone. Estrone glucuronide (E1 G) is the hormone that is present in the greatest concentration and is easiest to measure and is related to pregnancy and litter size. Several studies were conducted to understand the relationships between day of gestation, pregnancy and litter size

Laboratory Analysis of Manure

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

To make efficient use of fertilizer nutrients in manure,
nutrient levels must be determined by laboratory analysis.
This publication outlines methods for obtaining and
interpreting laboratory analyses of manure.

Effects of ground flaxseed in swine diets on pig performance and on physical and sensory characteristics and omega-3 fatty acid content of pork: I. Dietary level of flaxseed

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Because of conflicting reports appearing daily
regarding fat in the human diet, opportunities exist
for animal scientists to improve the nutritional value
of fat that animals produce.The objectives of this study were 1) to
determine the effect of feeding three levels ( 5 , 10, or
15%) of ground flaxseed to pigs for 25 d before
slaughter on growth and carcass composition, 2) to
determine omega-3 fatty acid content of various pork
tissues following feeding of flaxseed, and 3) to
determine the effects of dietary flaxseed on processing
and cooking capabilities and consumer acceptability of
pork. It was found that increasing levels (0, 5, 10, and 15%) of ground
flaxseed in a swine diet for the final 25 d before
slaughter did increase the content of healthful omega-3
fatty acids in bacon and loin chops. The 15% flaxseed
diet caused the greatest increase, but consumers were
able to identify bacon from the higher levels in
triangle tests. Thus, 15% dietary flaxseed is probably
the highest level that should be used with finishing
hogs.

Pre-slaughter handling and transport of broiler chickens.

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 1990 | No Comments

The physiological and biochemical basis for feeding pigs and poultry in the tropics (part 2)

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

The suggestion that sucrose or even glucose ingestion in large proportions could be the origin of the laxative effect in pigs and poultry fed sugar cane final molasses (Alvarez 1976; Entringer et al 1975) has not been a successful explanation considering that high-test cane molasses, or even molasses type A and B, have high digestibility indices, in line with a slower rate of passage of digesta, mainly in the large intestine (Ly 1977; Ly and DA

Analysis of genetic diversity in four Canadian swine breeds using pedigree data.

Posted in: Production by admin on April 12, 0201 | No Comments

Conservation of animal genetic resources entails judicious assessment of genetic diversity as a first step. The objective of this study was to analyze the trend of within-breed genetic diversity and identify major causes of loss of genetic diversity in four swine breeds based on pedigree data. Pedigree files from Duroc (DC), Hampshire (HP), Lacombe (LC) and Landrace (LR) containing 480 191, 114 871, 51 397 and 1 080 144 records, respectively, were analyzed. Pedigree completeness, quality and depth were determined. Several parameters derived from the in-depth pedigree analyses were used to measure trends and current levels of genetic diversity. Pedigree completeness indexes of the four breeds were 90.4, 52.7, 89.6 and 96.1%, respectively. The estimated percentage of genetic diversity lost within each breed over the last three decades was approximately 3, 22, 12 and 2%, respectively. The relative proportion of genetic diversity lost due to random genetic drift in DC, HP, LC and LR was 74.5, 63.6, 72.9 and 60.0%, respectively. The estimated current effective population size for DC, HP, LC and LR was 72, 14, 36 and 125, respectively. Therefore, HP and LC have been found to have lost considerable genetic diversity, demanding priority for conservation. Download PDF.

Site Development for Hoop Barns

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 0000 | No Comments

In discussing site development, we must understand how to determine and find a
good location for the development of hoop structures. In a typical hog barn the
buildingsa

Dealing with the Aftermath of a Pig Barn Fire

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Farm fires are always devastating events – and livestock on those farms increases the challenge. According to the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, farm fires pose a special threat. Farms tend to be isolated and rarely have access to well-equipped urban fire departments or to large quantities of water. Barns are highly flammable and can quickly burn out of control. As a result, economic losses due to fires in farming are severe and out of proportion to the number of fires that
occur. No amount of precaution will entirely rule out the chance that a fire may start, so ita

Facts for First Responders: Barn Fires Involving Livestock

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Barn fires are one of the more challenging structure fires for first responders. Barns are
highly flammable buildings that are often filled with highly combustible items. These structures
go up quickly and burn fast. The vast majority of barn fires occur late at night or early morning
hours, often going undetected until flames are showing. Due to the locations of barns, by the
time the fire department arrives, the barn is quite often fully involved.
Adding to the challenge of a barn fire is that many of these structures house animals. Depending on the type of animal and barn design, some animals can be quickly removed, while others are impossible to evacuate.
Fire departments in areas with barns should hold barn fire education nights for farmers and livestock-related facility owners. Along with providing the basics of barn fire prevention, you should encourage the owners to invite your department out to tour their facilities and barns to become aware of the location of hazards and water sources, and provide you with information about the animals on their farm and the design of the barns.
By educating your department on what to expect at a barn fire and giving them some basic guidelines, you will be able to more effectively respond to a barn fire and keep your crew safer.

What to do witha

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

Loose animals are scared animals and scared animals are dangerous animals. We see it on the news and
cringe a