Better Pork June 2016
Articles in the June 2016 Better Pork Include: Beyond the Barn: Stratford Hope Bacon and Ale will Lure Shakespeare Buffs, PRRS Resistant Hog a 'Potential Game Changer", Turning Manure Mountains into Gold, Spike in Barn Fires Causes Rising Public Concern Unique tastings of beer and...
Long-Term Feeding of Graded Levels of Deoxynivalenol in Finisher Pigs
Grains that are contaminated with mycotoxins are often downgraded for use in livestock feed. The incidence of contaminated grain is increasing, so avoiding contamination continues to become more difficult. Strategies to reduce or eliminate mycotoxins have been proposed with many that deactivate the mycotoxin through...
High-Fibre Diets & Immune Stimulation Increase Threonine Requirements
Reduced growth and less efficient use of nutrients is found in sub-clinical disease. Health and nutrient requirements need to be better understood now that in-feed antibiotics have been eliminated. The efficiency of utilization of dietary threonine for growth in pigs decreases when feedstuffs have high-fibre....
Stimulating Exploratory Behavior in Piglets: Effects on Pre-Weaning Creep Consumption
Weaning is a very stressful experience for piglets due to removal of the sow, diet changes, mixing with other litters and a change of pen environment. They often fail to consume feed so growth reductions are often seen. This can reduce immunity and impair gut...
Impact of Calcium and Phosphorus on Sow Lameness and Sow Longevity
As sow productivity continues to improve, dietary mineral recommendations are evolving. Physiological and anatomical demands on the skeletal system are increasing so higher dietary levels of minerals like phosphorus and calcium are recommended. The modern, highly prolific sow has not had much research done on...
The Efficiency of Energy Utilization by Growing Pigs Selected for Potential Growth Rate
Growth rate variability within a group of pigs leads to variation in carcass composition and inefficiencies in nutrient utilization. Variability is a significant challenge for the pork industry. Cost-effective feeding regimes are being developed to minimize the negative effects of variability on the producer's bottom...
Effects of Altering the Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio in Starter Diets on Piglet Inflammatory Response
Many new stressors are present at weaning, including immune challenges. These stressors can result in an inflammatory response as well as reduced feed intake and growth. An over-production of immune cells can result in increased muscle degradation and reduced protein synthesis. Omega-3 fatty acids have...
Spray-Dried Animal Plasma Mitigates the Negative Impact of Deoxynivalenol (DON) in Nursery Pigs
There is an increase in prevalence of deoxynivalenol (DON) contaminated grains in the Canadian Prairies. DON is the toxin produced by Fusarium fungi, which is affected by the moisture content during flowering and/or harvest. Grains that are contaminated with DON are either destroyed or fed...
Determining the NE Content of Diets and Ingredients
Feed has a large impact on the efficiency of production. Over 65% of the total hog production cost is due to feed. Energy is the most expensive component at 90%, so characterizing the available energy in a feed is required to estimate its overall feeding...
Creep Feed Provision in the Farrowing Room Provides Benefits to Piglets Showing Evidence of Intake
By supplying feed in farrowing (creep feed), the piglets should benefit by being introduced to solid feed, having supplemental nutrition and by helping the gastrointestinal tract adapt to new proteins and nutrients. Some studies have found that no benefits were noted when piglets were provided...