Assessing trailer cleanliness
A rapid, easy to use and reliable way of monitoring surface cleanliness of swine transport trailers is needed for practical industry applications. ATP bioluminescence has been demonstrated to be a good alternative tool for monitoring surface cleanliness in swine transport trailers, providing results within minutes...
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Ken Engele
Pigs consume more water when stressed
Two novel technologies consisting of an individual water consumption system (IWCS) and infrared thermography system (ITHS) were installed in a finishing room. The individual water consumption system (installed in each pen) was composed of a nipple drinker attached to a water flow meter, and an...
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Ken Engele
Effects of long distance transport on early-weaned pigs
While transporting weaner pigs is a common practice in swine production, there is very little published research on how this process impacts piglet health and welfare. To address this gap, Dr. Jennifer Brown and colleagues at the University of Guelph and University of Saskatchewan are...
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Ken Engele
Feeding canola meal or soy expeller at two feed energy levels to growout hogs
Previous research trials that we’ve conducted showed that we can feed reduced net energy (NE) diets (≤2.3 Mcal/kg) to growout hogs instead of traditional energy levels (≥2.4 Mcal/kg) as long as hogs can increase feed intake to compensate for reduced dietary energy level. Conventional (solvent-extracted)...
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Ken Engele
Design criteria for enhancing cleanability and welfare characteristics of pig transport trailers
Various aspects of trailer design and construction significantly impact the cleanability and welfare characteristics of the trailer, such as surface smoothness, exposed screws and weld joints, and presence of structures and hard-to-clean areas that may be prone to dirt accumulation. In this project, design criteria...
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Ken Engele
Water intake
Table showing recommended flow rate and height of nipple drinkers. Tips for saving water include adjusting nipple drinkers to proper height, check flow rates, and repair or replace leaky drinkers and water lines, among others. Water intake (full article)...
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Ken Engele
Now is the time to look at market weights
With feed prices at or near all-time highs now is he time to look at how heavy you should market your pigs. Calculating your optimal market weight is a relatively straightforward exercise, once you have all the required information. Once set up, it is something...
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Ken Engele
Particle size
What can I do to reduce my feed bill? One option is to maximize feed utilization through processing. Grinding (particle size reduction) is an integral part of feed processing that increases the digestibility of nutrients. The smaller the particles, the more significant the improvement in...
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Ken Engele
Strategies to reduce feed costs, feed formulation, feed efficiency, and economics of feeding programs
Do you know what your feed is actually costing you? The most basic calculation to consider is feed cost per kilogram of gain ($/kg gain), which is feed efficiency (kg feed/kg gain) x feed cost ($/kg feed). Determination of either the margin over feed cost...
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Ken Engele
The utilization of corn DDGS in swine rations. Some “reminders”
Corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is an ingredient that has been successfully incorporated into swine diets for many years. The following is an update on some recent research with this ingredient, plus some ‘tips’ or reminders when incorporating corn DDGS into swine rations. The...
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Ken Engele