Stimulating Exploratory Behaviour – Effect on Creep Consumption
This study investigated whether feed consumption before and after weaning can be increased through stimulating exploratory behaviour in piglets, and whether this is best achieved through provision of enrichment (E), or through presentation of creep feed in a large tray feeder (TF) so as to facilitate synchronized feeding among littermates. Enrichment...
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Ken Engele
Weaning Sows Directly into Group Housing
Social stress from mixing sows has the potential to negatively affect sow production and welfare. Housing sows in stalls from weaning until five weeks after breeding is a common strategy used to prevent aggression and ensure control over individual feeding during breeding, conception and implantation. However, alternative management options are...
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Ken Engele
Does the Inclusion of Lyso-Lecithin (Lecired) Improve the Growth of Newly Weaned Pigs?
In conclusion, the addition of 10% (of dietary fat) lyso-lecithin to high or low energy diets of weanling pigs had only modest effects on the performance of these piglets, regardless of the inclusion of tallow in the diet. Future experiments need to clarify if fat emulsification is limiting...
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Ken Engele
Fermented Soybean Meal for Weaned Pigs
Soybean meal contains a variety of anti-nutritional factors which limit its inclusion into the diets of young piglets. It has been shown that fermentation of soybean meal (fSBM) eff ectively removes trypsin inhibitors, oligosaccharides and phytic acid and improves digestibility of nutrients, including amino acids. These improvements however, are not...
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Ken Engele
Developing Spray-Dried Animal Plasma Programs for DON Contaminated Diets
This study was designed to determine if feeding high quality diets supplemented with spray-dried animal plasma (SDAP) during the early post-weaning period, will provide benefits if deoxynivalenol (DON)contaminated diets are fed in subsequent phases. Two blocks of newly weaned pigs were fed according to a 3-phase feeding program...
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Ken Engele
Mitigating DON Through Optimal Use of Blood Plasma
Previous research showed that nursery pigs fed deoxynivalenol (DON) contaminated diets supplemented with spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) had similar growth rate and feed intake as those consuming non-contaminated diets. In this study, two blocks of 100 weanling pigs were used to determine the optimal inclusion level of spray-dried bovine...
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Ken Engele
ATP Bioluminescence as Means for Assessing Trailer Cleanliness
Proper washing and disinfection of swine transport trailers is an important step in maintaining biosecurity. This study examined the feasibility of using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence as a rapid and effective swine trailer cleanliness assessment tool. Samples were taken from newly-cleaned, dry trailers using an ATP swab by swabbing...
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Ken Engele
National Sow Housing Conversion Project
The National Sow Housing Conversion Project (NSHCP) was conceived as a descriptive project to facilitate the successful conversion of Canada’s sow barns to group housing. The project involved collaboration from industry participants and academic researchers working together on a comprehensive strategy involving demonstration farms, technology transfer materials...
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Ken Engele
Determining Effective Enrichments for Group Housed Sows
Providing enrichment involves making changes to the environment that are intended to increase the range of normal Behaviours and improve the biological functioning and well-being of animals. Enrichment in group housing systems has the potential to significantly improve animal welfare by reducing aggression and injuries, stimulating exercise and the...
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Ken Engele
Cleaning Ease and Animal Welfare Implications of Trailer Design
The aim of this initial study was to develop an inventory list of trailers commonly used for the transportation of market hogs in Canada. Hog transport companies in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario were visited in order to document various trailer features specifically those influencing ease of cleaning and animal...
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Ken Engele