SEARCH
Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Guidelines for the transport of early-weaned piglets based on field observations and experimental trials
Posted in: Welfare by admin on January 1, 2001 | No Comments
The stress of early weaning combined with the stress of transportation can predispose piglets to disease, such as post-weaning diarrhea, and can cause a significant depression in growth rates. Therefore, it is to the producera
Behavioural responses of piglets to castration: The effect of piglet age.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
The purpose of this study was to determine the least painful methods of castration. Fourteen litters (with a minimum of six males) were used in this study. Two treatments: castration or sham castration, were further subdivided into 3, 10, or 17 (A
Sucking motivation and related problems in calves.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Sucking motivation is likely strong due to survival of young animals being dependent on the process. Deprivation of sucking would likely result in frustration and a negative welfare state. The ingestion of milk, and the lactose concentration in milk, stimulates non-nutritive sucking. Sucking stimulates sucking, and deprivation of sucking may also interfere with satiety and digestive processes. In this study, sucking and butting an artificial feeding system during nutritive sucking was studied in relation to milk flow. Butting was stimulated, and sucking for a meal was lengthened, when milk flow was slowed or stopped. If a second teat became available, calves were more apt to switch teats due to slowing or stopping milk flow. These results are similar to observations recorded when the calf and cow are together. Meal duration is influenced by milk availability and hunger, not milk intake. Butting increases when the dam’s udder has less milk, most likely due to slower milk flow. A good indicator of milk intake, when the calf is suckling the dam, is butting rather than sucking duration. To reduce the occurrence of cross-sucking following a milk meal, the authors recommend a combination of slower milk flow, feeding hay, and the provision of a non-nutritive artificial teat.
Divergent selection on feather pecking behaviour in laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus).
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
A selection experiment initiated in 1996 was designed to either select for (HP line) or against (LP line) feather pecking behaviour. The behaviour was recorded from White Leghorn hens at the age of 68 weeks (generation 0), 35 weeks (generation 1), 30 weeks (generation 2) and 27 weeks (generation 3). In adult hens, feather pecking was significantly higher among the HP line than the LP line. In generation two, there were 3.10 versus 1.37 bouts per bird per hour (HP vs. LP, respectively), 7.04 versus 3.58 pecks per bird per hour (HP vs. LP, respectively), and the proportion of hens observed feather pecking throughout the three hour observation period was 67 versus 56 % (HP vs. LP, respectively). In generation three, the statistics were: 4.56 versus 0.63 bouts per bird per hour (HP vs. LP, respectively), 13.9 versus 2.51 pecks per bird per hour (HP vs. LP, respectively), and the proportion of hens recorded feather pecking in the three hour observation period was 75 versus 49 % (HP vs. LP, respectively). The condition of plumage on the neck, breast, back, wings and tail, and overall plumage condition of LP hens in generation three was better than that of HP hens. Body weights did not differ between the lines in generation two, but HP hens were heavier than LP hens at 27 weeks of age in generation three.
Behavioural responses to climatic demands of dairy heifers housed outdoors.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
The behavioural responses of yearling dairy heifers to different climatic demands during the winter were studied. Two groups were housed in two similar enclosures with trees, ley and pasture. A lying area, a heated water source, and feed bunk (free access to grass silage) were provided. The behaviour and location of each animal was recorded throughout the entire winter. Outdoor temperature, wind speed and solar radiation were also measured throughout the study. A heated animal model was used to measure the climatic energy demand. All the main activities and location of the heifers was significantly affected by the climate. Heifers spent more time in the lying area (with greater lying and ruminating) and less time eating and grazing, when there was a higher climatic energy demand. Increasing climatic energy demands also corresponded to greater migrations to the forested area as opposed to remaining in the open areas. Dairy heifers are able to adapt to increasing climatic demands by changing their behaviour. They are able to change their location and change their behaviour to reduce energy expenditure. If provided with wind breaks and dry lying areas, dairy heifers can adapt to cold climates.
The propensity of cattle to vocalize during handling and isolation is affected by phenotype.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Vocalization is being used as a means of assessing the efficacy of handling in packing plants. This study was conducted to determine if phenotypes, based on coat colour, affected the frequency of vocalization by cattle in two handling situations. Cattle (6 mos old calves) were classified as ‘black’, either completely or black with a white head, or ‘white’, either completely or with some degree of tan or brown body colouration. The vocalizations of the animals were assessed during restraint while they were ear-tagged and other minor procedures were performed. Subsequently they were restrained for 1 min in isolation from other cattle. In the first restraint test 36% of the calves vocalized, with completely black animals doing so more than the black with a white face. In the second condition, fewer claves vocalized (16%), and in this case the black cattle (both types) vocalized more then the white. Both phenotypes moved within the restraint device a similar amount. Heart rate decreased during the 1 min in the second restraint test, and decreased more in animals that vocalized. Vocalizations during the second restraint test were shorter and with a lower fundamental frequency than during the first restraint. Different phenotypes will vocalize at different levels, and vocalizations will differ between types of handling. Caution should be used in using vocalizations as a means to assess animal welfare in a handling situation.
Food Safety on the Farm
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Manitoba livestock producers have a responsibility to produce safe, high quality food products of animal origin. This responsibility is being met through on-farm food safety programs that stress:
a
The effect of parity and environmental restriction on behavioural and physiological responses of pre-parturient pigs.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Sows are typically kept in farrowing crates from before giving birth until weaning. This restriction has been a concern, particularly during the pre-parturient ‘nest-building phase’. Earlier studies indicated that gilts (1st pregnancy) had higher stress levels if kept in crates as opposed to a farrowing pen. This study observed animals through two farrowings (gilt and sow), in either crates or pens, to determine if animals adapted to crates during their second farrowing. Seven animals were assigned to each housing condition. All crated animals changed posture during the pre-farrowing phase more often than did those in pens, but the difference was less for sows than for gilts. Nest building behaviour began earlier relative to parturition in pens than in crates, and earlier in sows than in stalls. Crated animals spent more time sitting, but less time standing, than did those in pens. Cortisol levels were measured during the second parturition (sows only), and were higher in sows in crates than in pens. However, compared to previous studies, the difference in cortisol between crated and penned sows was less than in gilts. Thus, environmental restriction as represented by farrowing crates results in more sitting, a later onset of nest-building, and a higher level of cortisol; all of which suggest a more stressful environment. However, the differences between crates and pens decreases during the second farrowing, indicating that the animals are adapting to the restricted environment.
Transport stress modulates adrenocorticotropin secretion from peripheral bovine lymphocytes.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Cows were either exposed to 30 minutes (short) or 14 hours (long) of transportation. Cows that had experienced the long transportation were given a 24-hour rest period either by unloading them and allowing them to rest in a pen, or by allowing them to rest on the truck. Blood samples were taken before and after the short and long transportation and also after the rest period, which followed the long transportation. Short transport did not affect the secretion of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) from lymphocytes. Long transport caused an increase in ACTH concentration. The ACTH concentration returned to the basal level in animals that were given the opportunity to rest for 24 hours in pens off the truck. Cows that were rested on the truck maintained elevated ACTH concentrations. Heart rates and rectal temperatures increased in cows that had experienced long transport, but decreased again after the 24-hour rest period (both on and off the truck). This study is the first to show lymphocytic ACTH secretion in cows. Based on the results from this study, adrenocorticotropin secretion from peripheral lymphocytes could be used as a reliable measurement in stress studies.
The effect of early handling on the socialization of young calves to humans.
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
The relationship between humans and animals can have a substantial effect on the behaviour, productivity and welfare of livestock. The nature and timing of interactions with humans as well as the genetic predisposition of individuals are key factors in determining the relationship, which develops between humans and farm animals. This study aimed to determine if a period exists within the first 2 weeks after birth during which positive contact with humans alter young calves subsequent behaviour. The effects of handling at different times after birth on the subsequent response to humans was investigate using 40 Danish Friesian calves removed from their dams immediately after birth. Treatments were feeding and handling during days 1-4 after birth (H1-4), during days 6-9 (H6-9), or during days 11-14 (H11-14), and no handling (C: control). The handling treatment was carried out three times daily for 4 days and consisted of 6 minute of hand-feeding with milk from a teat-bucket and patting, stroking and talking to the calf. All calves were housed in single pens and the human contact was minimized except during the treatment periods. The approach behaviour of each calf to an unknown person was tested at days 20, 40 and 55 in their home pen. Latency to interact with person was shorter for calves in H1-4 compared to C. There was no difference in latency to interact with person between H11-14 and control calves. The group H6-9 differed only from the control group at day 20. Treatment also affected the position and the orientation of the calf in the pen during tests. Calves in H1-4 stood at the front of the pen and faced the person more often than calves in C. All the three handled treatments (H1-4, H6-9, and H11-14) had a shorter flight distance at day 55 compared to the control group. The results of this study indicate that handling and hand-feeding, especially during the first 4 days after birth, increases the motivation of young calves to approach a human compared with calves that receive minimal human contact.