Transepithelial ion transport in the stomach of pigs exposed to gastric ulcer conditions
Gastric ulcers in pigs increase significantly when stressful events occur. However, the exact causes of these gastric ulcerations remain unclear. Gastric acid production is known to be influenced by anionic secretion. An Ussing chamber study was conducted to evaluate the...
Developing an Indigestible Protein Index to Investigate the Effects of Dietary Protein in Pigs
It is unclear what causes the inconsistent negative effects of high protein diets in nursery pigs, but it could be due to protein source or indigestible protein (IDP) content. A literature search and meta-analysis was done that included ninety-four studies...
Impact of fibre on performance and intestinal health of pigs fed a high indigestible protein level
Dietary indigestible protein (IDP) may be a better indicator of potential negative dietary effects than total protein, likely because IDP is available as substrate for microbial fermentation in the hindgut resulting in the production of harmful metabolites. Fermentation of fibre,...
The influence of straw enrichment on hair hormone concentrations, behaviour, and productivity of growing pigs
A trial was conducted to see if hair hormone concentrations are a good biomarker for chronic stress in pigs. The objective of this study was to determine if different rearing environments, designed to be standard, or improve pig welfare, influenced...
Rearing pigs with play opportunities: The effects on disease resilience in pigs experimentally inoculated with PRRSV
Positive emotions can reduce disease susceptibility during infectious challenges in humans, and emerging evidence suggests similar effects in farm animals. Because play behaviour may support a positive emotional state in pigs, this study investigated whether rearing pigs with regular intermittent...
Promoting play behaviour in grow-finish pigs
Play behaviour has been associated with excitement and fun, suggesting that playing animals experience pleasurable states. To determine if the provision of play opportunities could enhance the quality of life of pigs, this study investigated if play can be promoted...
Sow housing during the post-weaning and early pregnancy periods
Research to date is limited on how best to house and manage sows during the post-weaning and early gestation periods from a welfare perspective. A systematic literature review (part 1) on this topic found only a small number of studies...
Effects of replenishment rate of enrichments in pigs with undocked tails
This study compared pre-weaning exposure to environmental enrichment or not, and three slat-compatible enrichment replenishment strategies for pigs post-weaning. Forty-eight mixed-sex pens (six males and six females/pen) of undocked pigs were followed from birth to slaughter. Pre-weaning, half the pigs...
Optimizing temperature requirements of pigs to reduce energy use in swine production
The overarching goal of this research project is to investigate the optimum environmental temperature requirements of sows and grower-finisher pigs to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gases while maintaining their long-term overall productivity and performance. The project consists of four...
Investment cost and payback period of a modified prototype livestock trailer
The overall goal of the work conducted was to assess the performance of an improved prototype livestock trailer with ventilation, heating, misting and air filtration systems in maintaining a welfare-friendly and pathogen-free environment during transport. Road and disease-challenge tests showed...
Long term effect of early vs. late enrichment with scented newspaper in growing pigs
Environmental enrichment can reduce damaging behaviours like tail biting, but practical information on enrichments for growing pigs is lacking. A previous study showed that scented newsprint was a promising enrichment type. The current study examined the long-term effect of early...
Reducing pre-weaning mortality
A major welfare and economic issue in the swine industry is pre-weaning mortality (PWM). Pre-weaning mortality needs to be reduced in order to increase the welfare of the animals and the profits associated with them. There are many management techniques...
