Transportation of Pigs in Western Canada: Temperatures Within Trucks During Winter and Summer Months
One of the major stressors to pigs is transportation as it involves physical exertion, an unfamiliar environment and psychological and social stress. Death losses occur and are of higher incidence in the summer months. Temperatures vary in seasons and also in the compartments of the...
Evaluating Energy Usage and Various Energy Conservation Strategies for Swine Barns
In temperate regions like Canada, swine production requires substantial energy input. Costs for energy have been rising so that now, utilities are the third greatest expense. Energy conservation measures were examined to look at possible cost reductions. Each barn varies greatly in energy consumption. By...
Comparative Evaluation of the use of Heat Exchanger, Ground Source Heat Pump and Conventional Heating Systems in Grow-Finish Rooms
By using energy efficiently, energy costs can be further reduced. Space heating can be used more optimally to reduce energy usage. Different heating systems were investigated including a heat recovery ventilator with a forced-convection heater, a ground source heat pump and a stand-alone forced-convection heater....
Evaluation of Temperature Conditions in Trucks During Transport of Market Pigs to Slaughter in Four Seasons
Temperature and humidity conditions vary significantly in different compartments in trucks that transport market pigs. Transportation of pigs can involve economic losses due to death, reduced meat quality and welfare concerns. More losses are reported in the summer with specific compartments being more affected. Pigs...
Reducing Temperature Requirements for Group Housed Sows to Save Costs
Sows in group housing systems maintain room temperatures between 9 to 12°C which reduces energy consumption by 78% compared to gestation rooms at a pre-set temperature of 16.5°C. Since sows can interact with each other, they have more control over their thermal environmental conditions. If...
Improving Biosecurity in Swine Transport
There are serious gaps in biosecurity, especially related to transportation. There is a need for easier to clean trailers and better sanitizing and cleaning procedures in order to reduce disease transmission. Issues that hinder the cleaning of trailers include downtime required between loads, a limited...
Assessing Cleanliness of Swine Transportation Trailers
A significant risk for transmission of swine diseases is pig transportation. This area needs to be researched to see what biosecurity measures can be taken to reduce risk of disease. Visual inspection as a means for assessing cleanliness is not consistent or reliable so an...
Novel Biocontainment Concept for Quarantine Facilities
Often the quarantine facility is located within 100 m of the breeding facility. This increases contamination risk as some viruses and diseases can spread further, such as PRRS virus which can be transmitted over 9.2 km in the air. Filters in the air inlet are...
Effectiveness of Sprinkling During Transport
Sprinkling pigs on-farm, before transport and unloading at the packing plant improve meat quality and pig comfort when it is over 20°C outside. There are no current guidelines on when to sprinkle pigs in hot temperatures. If temperatures are above 30°C, pigs can no longer...
Evaluation of a Biotrickling Filtration System for Treatment of Exhaust Air from a Swine Barn
Biotrickling filters are easier to manage and are smaller in size compared to other exhaust air filtration technologies. To ensure the best design is developed, further work is needed to see what performs best in swine production facilities. An air treatment unit with air cleaning...