Amino Acid Requirements based on Protein Deposition Rates

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on January 1, 2000 | No Comments

As important as defining nutrient requirements may be, supplying those nutrients using available ingredients must occur with the same precision. We are just beginning to understand the impact of variability, especially in energy content, on the accuracy of diet formulation. Finally, perhaps the most important development of the 1990’s has been the recognition that the economy is as important as the productivity; feeding programs are increasing evaluated as much on the cost per kg of gain, or cost per pig sold, or profit per pig space, as on days to market and average carcass index.

Hiring the Right Employee – Interview Questions

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The Future of Artifical Insemination

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Dietary factors influencing water consumption

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Dietary factors play a key role in the water use patterns of pigs. To avoid deprivation and related impaired performance due to individual or environmental factors, animals in commercial pig barns are usually given free access to water. Efforts to reduce water wastage have the potential to minimize the impact that large scale pig production units have on the supply of groundwater, a valuable natural resource. Manure produced by intensive hog farming contributes to operating costs related to the storing and hauling of slurry. A clear understanding of the relationship between diet composition and water intake therefore has practical implications for minimizing costs and addressing environmental concerns associated with large scale pork production.

Analyzing New Crop Grain

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Due to poor growing conditions in Southern Manitoba in the fall of 2000, PSCI published the Analyzing New Crop Grain Factsheet. It examines the feeding quality of sprouted barley and wheat and its relative nutritional factors. Ergot, Importance of Bushel Weight, Maximizing you new crop grain with the use of ADF (acid detergent fiber) and the use of Hulless barley are other topics examined throughout the factsheet.

Impact of Land Application of Swine Manure

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The Sask Pork Chair in Envronmental Engineering – Poster

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Effect of feed presentation on the feeding behaviour of grower/finisher pigs

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Past research suggests that the once standard 5 pigs/feeder space underestimates the actual carrying capacity of most modern feeder designs. Feeding behavior can be influenced by several factors such as competition, feed type, feed presentation and pig size. This study examined the effect of feed type and presentation on the eating behavior of grower finisher pigs in attempt to determine if these effects would translate into higher stocking densities of the feeder. Four treatments were used for the duration of the two experiments, dry mash (DM), wet/dry mash (WD), dry pellets (DP) and wet/dry pellets (WP) all fed from single space feeders. Pens were video taped to determine total duration of eating. Data from the first experiment was then used for the second experiment during the finisher phase. Results showed that pigs fed the DM diet spent significantly more time at the feeder than those fed WM, DP or WP. ADG was found to be lower as compared to WM or WP diets, and pigs fed the DP diets had intermediate gains. As stocking density increased, the time spent eating/pig decreased in both the grower and finisher phases, regardless of feed type or presentation. It was concluded that feed type and presentation have major effects on swine eating behavior and can influence productivity. Pigs fed a dry diet tend to spend more time eating, however this effect can be counteracted by the addition of water, such as in a wet/dry feeding system. The same does not apply to wet/dry versus dry pellets, which could be due to factors such as palatability or simple mechanics. Maximum number of pigs that could be fed from a single feeder space without significant decrease in ADG and ADFI varied among the type of feed and presentation, as well as the stage of growth.

Characterizing and Manipulating Energy Content of Ingredients

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Characterizing the energy content of ingredients included into swine diets is important for accurate diet formulation. Methods to characterize the energy content of ingredients will be illustrated with data from large collaborative study with barley. Potential use of characterizing information for manipulating the energy content will be discussed in this presentation.

Incidence of Belly Nosing in SEW Pigs

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