Investigation of Translactational Analgesia for Reducing Piglet Pain at Castration
Painful livestock procedure concern is increasing, with one of pig productions key issues being castration of piglets. Castration is done in male piglets to avoid 'boar taint' which is the development of undesirable odours that can occur in the meat of adult boars. Piglet castration...
Temperament Traits Related to Stress and Meat Quality: Are they Reliable and Heritable?
Welfare, ease of handling, stockperson labour required to move and productivity are all influenced by the susceptibility of pigs to stress. Severe losses for packers and producers often arise from stress during transport and handling of pigs at marketing. This includes in-transit death losses, reduced...
Effects of Transport Duration on the Stress Response and Pork Quality of Pigs
Transporting pigs in Canada has many challenges. These include extremes of temperature and long transport durations that can cause stress in pigs, affecting welfare, transit losses and meat quality. Transport times of 6, 12 and 18 hours were studied on meat quality and stress physiology,...
Loading Facilities for Market Hogs: Saskatchewan’s Top 10
Loading facilities can result in longer loading times, increased incidence of rough handling and prod use if poorly designed. Stress associated with this can affect meat quality, carcass and also increase the amount of downer pigs and losses. Ten Saskatchewan barns were observed to see...
Assessment of Lameness, Productivity and Longevity in Group and Individually Housed Gestating Sows
There may be several major welfare issues in facility design and sow management for group sow housing. One of the most important welfare issues is lameness. It is the second major cause of culling after reproductive failure. visual scores can be used to measure lameness...
Literature Review and Needs Assessment of Housing Systems for Gestating Sows in Group Pens with Individual Feeding
Group housing is a complex system, but it is one that the society is moving towards. There are many options in regard to choosing group housing for gestating sows. The housing systems from lowest to highest welfare are: tethers and stalls, indoor group housing then...
Effects of Temperament and Floor Space Allowance on Sows at Grouping
Producers are changing their facilities to group housing for sows. Spacious accommodation has been shown to reduce aggression and increase general health but the point of crowding is not known. Observations were made in order to configure space requirements and social groups. More space was...
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...
Food Court Design for Large Group Auto-Sort for Grow-Finish Pigs
Costs can be improved by improving the ability to sort pigs within their pen. Since large groups are used for grow/finish pens, auto-sort scales are often used. Aggression in pigs is similar in both large and small group sizes, with larger groups becoming more tolerant...
Effects of Transport Conditions and Vehicle Design on the Welfare and Meat Quality of Pigs in Western and Eastern Canada
Transport conditions can have an impact on the economics of pork production and on animal welfare. Swine transportation in Canada is highly variable in the aspects of seasonal changes, distance of transport and types of vehicles used. Differences in truck compartments, truck types and seasons...