2012-2013 PSC Annual Report Now On-Line
Posted in: Press Releases by admin on July 18, 2013
The 2012-2013 Prairie Swine Centre Annual Report is now available for producer to download at http://prairieswine.com/rsc/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PSC-Annual-Report-2012-2013.pdf
This year’s Annual Report consists of 14 articles examining new management and technologies that help enhance the bottom line of pork producers.
- 14 key areas of swine barn design and management have been identified through producer survey as areas that could benefit from standardization and optimization efforts. Page 14
- A commercial scale bio-trickling air treatment unit was effective in reducing the levels of ammonia, dust, and odour from growing and finishing rooms by 77%, 92%, and 75% respectively. Page 16
- Design of a air filtration system developed to filter incoming air in transportation trailers, to protect high value animals from airbourne transmissible diseases Page 20
- Initial results indicate finishing pigs can be selected for reduced stress response Page 22
- Results indicate the transfer of analgesic (Metacam), to sow’s milk was not effective too provide pain relief for piglets Page 25
- Preliminary data suggest that preventative hoof trimming, using a Zinpro FeetFirst chute, reduces the occurance and severity of lameness in gestation Page 28
- Sows spent significantly more time in areas with rubber flooring than concrete flooring regardless of age of sow Page 32
- Slow, low stress handling and keeping hogs cool during loading and transport continue to be the most practical recommendation for reducing transport deaths Page 35
- Body weight at nursery exit was greater in piglets offered creep feed for one week prior to weaning, less than 40% of piglets consumed creep Page 38
- Pigs fed a DON contaminated diet plus spray-dried blood plasma performed as well as pigs consuming non-contaminated diet Page 41
- Weanling pigs fed diets containing different n-6:n-3 fatty acid ratios responded differently to an LPS induced immune challenge Page 44
- Pigs separated into slow, average or fast potential growth rates, by determining their growth rates in the nursery has comparable growth rates and feed intake Page 45