The correlation of chemical and physical corn kernel traits with growth performance and carcass characteristics in pigs

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The objective of this study was to determine the influence of the chemical and physical traits of corn kernels from different hybrids on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs. The correlations of performance measure variation with individual kernel hybrid physical and chemical traits were statistically significant yet not large enough to base corn hybrid selection for feeding pigs on any single kernel chemical or physical trait.

Using haplotype probabilities in categorical survival analysis: a case study with three candidate genes in an Iberian · Meishan F2 population of newborn piglets

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Palliative therapy of osteochondrosis dessicans in a Duroc boar

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The effect of administration of 2-iminobiotin at birth on growth rates, morbidity and mortality in piglets under farm conditions

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This study showed a positive effect of
administration of 2-IB during the first day after birth on
neonatal growth rates up to the age of 10 days.
Furthermore, no negative effect of 2-IB treatment on
health and survival of piglets was demonstrated and this
was also confirmed by the lack of pathological and
histological abnormalities in healthy 2-IB treated piglets
at the end of the observation period. Future research
should increase the numbers of piglets involved to
verify the effects of 2-IB treatment on growth rates at weaning and at the end of the experimental period.
Furthermore, asphyxiated piglets should be included in
the treatment trial to evaluate possible beneficial effects
of 2-IB treatment on postnatal growth and survival in
asphyxiated piglets under farm conditions.

Look past U.S. for global opportunities for Canadian pork, says leading strategist

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Canada is the single most vulnerable pigmeat country in the world because it is so
heavily dependent on exports, particularly to the U.S., says Andrew Cookson, the
managing director of Europe-based GIRA Consultancy & Research who recently spoke
at the annual general meeting of Alberta Pork.
Rather than continuing to rely on one segment of a volatile world market, Cookson
recommends that the Canadian pork industry recognize opportunities to enter growing
markets, enhance farmer/processor relationships, become more cost competitive and
export more pig meat than live pigs. As progress is being made in those areas, Cookson
recommends the industry focus on differentiating Canada’s pork product. Cookson recommends a three-step process for managing risk in today’s market. The first
step is to ensure lowest-cost competitiveness. “You have no choice but to maximize all
measures to improve farm productivity and efficiency,” he says.
The second step is to optimize the current situation. On the production front, this means
finishing and slaughtering more pigs in Canada, says Cookson. On the marketing front, it
means diversifying the Canadian pork industry’s customer base. Finally, the third step is to differentiate Canadian pork, especially against its U.S.
counterpart. Right now there is very little to differentiate Canadian pork from U.S. pork,
says Cookson. This is not helped by the fact that Canadian pork is priced based on the
U.S. market so consumers tend to buy on price rather than product identity.

8 Tips for Tough Times

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Steve Meyer founder of Paragon Economics Inc., spoke during the world pork expo seminar in June. He stated that the challenges facing pork producers of today are quite different than before. He had eight tips for hog producers in order for them to combat these challenges. 1. Stay alert for buying opportunities to lower feed costs. 2. Build a strategic reserve of corn. 3. Plan for the long term. 4. Get your operation lean and mean. 5. Adjust feeders. 6. Be wary of out-of-feed events. 7. The cost of getting feed in the bin. 8. Managing Heating and Cooling Costs/Payback.

Estimates of genetic parameters for kyphosis in two crossbred swine populations

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This study estimated genetic parameters for degree of kyphosis from Duroc-Landrace F2 population and from a composite population composed of Duroc, Large White and 2 sources of Landrace. It was concluded that selection to decrease kyphosis should be effective and would not be expected to affect the number of ribs, lumbar vertebrae, nipple, or carcass length. Also, the selection for growth should not affect the incidence of kyphosis.

Response to dietary phosphorus deficiency is affected by genetic background in growing pigs

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This study was conducted to examine how genetics influence phosphorus utilization. At the end of the trial, carcass traits, meat quality, bone strength, and ash percentage were determined. The data indicated different mechanisms of phosphorus utlization between the genetic lines. Elucidating these mechanisms may lead to strategies to increase efficiency of growth in a more environmentally friendly manner.

Citrulline and intestinal fatty acid-binding protein: Longitudinal markers of postweaning small intestinal function in pigs?

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The objective of the current study was
to investigate whether plasma citrulline or intestinal
fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) concentrations
might be used as longitudinal markers for small intestinal
function in piglets after weaning. Plasma citrulline
and I-FABP concentrations were measured longitudinally
in weaned and unweaned piglets, and related to
intestinal absorption values (i.e., plasma mannitol and
d-xylose concentrations in a sugar absorption test).
Within each litter (n = 10), 2 piglets with a close-tolitter-
average BW were selected. At 20.8 ± 0.4 d of age,
the selected piglets per litter were either weaned conventionally
(CW) or remained with the sow (UNW).
One day before, and 0.5, 2, 4, and 7 d after weaning
of the CW piglets, the selected piglets of both groups
were subjected to a sugar absorption test. After a 2-h
fast, piglets were administered an oral dose of 2 mL/
kg of sugar solution, containing 50 mg/kg of mannitol
and 100 mg/kg of d-xylose. One hour after administration,
a blood sample was collected from a jugular vein
for determination of plasma I-FABP, citrulline, mannitol,
and d-xylose concentrations. Plasma I-FABP concentration
showed great variation within treatments,
and no difference was observed in plasma I-FABP concentrations
between the CW and UNW treatments (P
= 0.63). The absorption of d-xylose was not different
between treatments (P = 0.83). Mannitol absorption,
however, was less in the weaned CW piglets compared
with the UNW piglets (P = 0.003), with the nadir on d
4 postweaning. Weaning also reduced plasma citrulline
concentrations in the CW treatment compared with the
UNW treatment (P < 0.001). On d 4 and 7 postweaning, plasma citrulline concentrations of CW piglets were less (P < 0.001 and P = 0.0013) than preweaning values. Furthermore, in the CW treatment, plasma citrulline concentrations correlated with plasma mannitol concentrations at d 4 postweaning (r = 0.89, P = 0.008) and overall (r = 0.76, P = 0.001). Based on these results, plasma citrulline concentration seems to be a possible marker for monitoring intestinal function in pigs after weaning.

InraPorc: A model and decision support tool for the nutrition of growing pigs

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Nutritional systems, such as the net energy system or the ideal amino acid profile are widely developed in swine nutrition. These systems are based on the premise that the feeding value of feed ingredients and nutritional requirements of animals can be expressed on the same scale. However, it is generally acknowledged that nutrient utilisation is a dynamic phenomenon, implying that ‘value’ and ‘requirement’ are in fact the result of an interaction between the feed and the animal. To illustrate the existence of such an interaction, the current INRA-AFZ database of feed values (Sauvant et al., 2002) includes two digestible energy values for each feed ingredient: one for growing pigs and one for sows (Noblet et al., 2002). The systems approach (of which modelling is a formalisation) is ideally suited to account for interactions and to study different aspects of a system. Even though considerable progress has been made in the development of models of nutrient utilisation, application of these models beyond the context of research has been relatively modest. Over the past 25 years, different research programs have been carried out in our laboratory with the objective to develop response curves of animals to nutrient supplies. Animal production is facing new challenges that call for a more integrative approach towards nutrition. The objective of the InraPorc® project is to integrate the current state of knowledge in a nutritional model for growing pigs and sows, and make it available as a decision support tool to end-users. The objective for the growing pig (15–150 kg BW) model is to analyse nutrient utilisation for characterized pig types and to evaluate the effects of using different nutritional strategies in terms of nutrient utilisation, performance and carcass characteristics. As model parameters related to feed intake and growth potential are adjusted by the model user, growth (in an absolute sense) is not predicted. The model is based on the transformation of dietary nutrients to body protein and lipid, which are then used to predict body weight, lean body mass and backfat thickness. The representation of nutrient utilisation is mostly based on concepts used in net energy and ideal protein systems. Driving forces of the model include feed intake, the partitioning of energy between protein and lipid deposition, and availability of dietary protein and amino acids. Using literature data, the model appeared reasonably well capable of predicting the consequence of a nutrient intake restriction. The decision support tool is available at http://www.rennes.inra.fr/inraporc/. Through a user-friendly interface, the tool can be used to visualise different aspects of nutrient utilisation and excretion.