Force Plates Assessment

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation, Welfare by admin on April 28, 2014 | No Comments

Lameness accounts for 25% of the culling reasons for sows, but the current evaluation method is mainly through observation. Therefore, the accuracy of detecting lameness varies greatly. The use of force plates has been used to detect lameness in cattle, and this study tries to determine whether force plates can be used for sows as well. The objectives were i)to develop a scale to measure weight distribution per limb ii)to validate the use of force plates for measuring lameness in sows and iii)to determine the effect of analgesics on weight distribution in lame sows.

Results were calculated by measuring the percent of body weight on each limb, measuring the ratio of weight between left and right limbs, and recording the frequency and amplitude of weight shifting between left and right limbs. Weight shifting frequency was found to be significantly different between lame and sound sows in front legs (score 0:22.5 ± 1.64, score 1: 24.77 ± 1.86, score 2: 33.3 ± 1.94, P<0.001), and hind legs (score 0: 20.4 ±1.80, score 1: 21.89 ± 2.04, score 2: 31.3 ± 2.13, P<0.001). The lameness score was measured by observing gait: 0 being normal strides, and 4 being no movement due to lameness. The ratio of body weight distributed between rear legs was also significant with a decreased ratio with increasing lameness score (score 0: 0.72 [0.67-0.76], score 1: 0.71 [0.66-0.75], score 2: 0.62 [0.57-0.68], P<0.05).

Overall, it was found that there was more variation in weight distribution, and increased weight shifting in the lame sows. While force plates seem to be able to detect lameness the precision and thresholds need to be studied further. As well, the force plates cannot detect gait disorders, so it is recommended to still use visual observations.

Effectively Feeding of Canola Meal

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on June 25, 2013 | No Comments

The powerpoint summary of solvent extracted, extruded and pressed, and expeller pressed canola meal.

Capturing Dam-Line and Sire-Line Value in a Production Environment

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on February 20, 2013 | No Comments

As part of a review of future research and development possibilities in the area of swine reproductive biology and breeding herd management (Foxcroft, 2012), a number of key areas of future interest were identified. One centred around the gene x environment interactions that determine the final phenotype of production-level progeny in mature sow populations. Understanding the mechanistic basis for the observed gene x environment interactions that drive “litter of origin” effects on post-natal performance has been an important part of our research program. The outcomes from these studies suggest ways to identify litter phenotypes and to create production strategies to address existing “phenotypic plasticity”. The possibility of using a nutrigenomic approach to offset such programmed effects has also been explored. At a more basic level, the goal is to find genomic/epigenomic markers for the key biological traits that drive these gene x environment outcomes, with the aim of including genetic markers for these component traits in more sophisticated breeding programs that deliver replacement gilts for commercial production. A second area of focus was driven by recent opportunities, at least in North and South America, to determine individual boar fertility in large commercial boar studs. This constitutes the first step in improving the impact of genetically superior sires on the number, and particularly the quality, of commercial progeny. At the same time, access to fertility data from large populations of terminal-line boars enables association analyses that will hopefully allow genomic and proteomic markers of boar fertility to be identified. A more detailed discussion of recent collaborative studies on boar fertility will be presented by Amanda Minton in Breakout # 11 at this meeting. As part of this74 Foxcroft et al presentation, data from the same collaborative studies will be used to identify the extent to which variability in boar fertility, and current AI practices in the industry, has probably been limiting the performance of outstanding dam-line females.

Improving the Number of Quality Weaned Pigs – Powerpoint Presentation

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on February 13, 2013 | No Comments

As part of a review of future research and development possibilities in the area of swine reproductive biology and breeding herd management (Foxcroft, 2012), a number of key areas of future interest were identified. One centred around the gene x environment interactions that determine the final phenotype of production-level progeny in mature sow populations. Understanding the mechanistic basis for the observed gene x environment interactions that drive “litter of origin” effects on post-natal performance has been an important part of our research program. The outcomes from these studies suggest ways to identify litter phenotypes and to create production strategies to address existing “phenotypic plasticity”. The possibility of using a nutrigenomic approach to offset such programmed effects has also been explored. At a more basic level, the goal is to find genomic/epigenomic markers for the key biological traits that drive these gene x environment outcomes, with the aim of including genetic markers for these component traits in more sophisticated breeding programs that deliver replacement gilts for commercial production.

A second area of focus was driven by recent opportunities, at least in North and South America, to determine individual boar fertility in large commercial boar studs. This constitutes the first step in improving the impact of genetically superior sires on the number, and particularly the quality, of commercial progeny. At the same time, access to fertility data from large populations of terminal-line boars enables association analyses that will hopefully allow genomic and proteomic markers of boar fertility to be identified. A more detailed discussion of recent collaborative studies on boar fertility will be presented by Amanda Minton in Breakout # 11 at this meeting. As part of this74 Foxcroft et al presentation, data from the same collaborative studies will be used to identify the extent to which variability in boar fertility, and current AI practices in the industry, has probably been limiting the performance of outstanding dam-line females.

North American Consumers Want Fat They Can’t See

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on January 25, 2013 | No Comments

Consumers in North America don’t like to see the muscle fat in their meat, but their taste buds actually prefer some intramuscular marbling. In Japan, it is the opposite; there, consumers want to see the fat and they pay a premium for more intramuscular marbling.

To help the pork industry deal with complicated consumer preferences, the Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement is conducting a cross-Canada, three-year evaluation of about 6,000 Duroc pigs so that breeders can select the best candidates to sire the next generation of market pigs.

Brian Sullivan, the Ottawa-based CEO of the Canadian Centre for Swine Improvement, says the evaluations are being done using ultrasound along with software technology developed at Iowa State University. Trained technicians take ultrasound images of the pigs. The images are uploaded into the centre’s database, where they are reviewed using the Iowa State University software to come up with an estimate of intramuscular fat.

Scientists Seek Strategies for Early Detection and Prevention of Lameness of Sows

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on November 23, 2012 | No Comments

Research examining the factors affecting the productivity of group housed sows will assist Canada’s pork producers as they consider the switch to group sow housing systems. As part of a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary initiative being conducted on behalf of Swine Innovation-Porc, scientists with the University of Manitoba, the University of Saskatchewan, the Prairie Swine Centre, the University of Guelph and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are examining the productivity of sows depending on their housing system, the role of temperament in the ability of sows to behave in groups, the impact of calcium and phosphorus on lameness, the role of parity and the use of infrared to detect lameness. Dr. Nicolas Devillers, a research scientist pig behavior and welfare with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, notes there’s an overall move around the world to group housing systems. Clip-Dr. Nicolas Devillers-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: We hope it will be useful to producers because it will give them information first on what are the best housing systems that can be used without affecting productivity of sows and what are the consequences of the different choices for the different systems, for example, for the floor on the longevity of sows. This is better information for producers, if they want to use group housing systems, to choose the best system. So we will have indicators of lameness. These indicators, for the moment, are measured with quite complicated techniques but we hope to be able to apply them on farm and to give producers some tools to be able to detect lameness earlier and to develop some strategies to reduce the occurrence of lameness in sows. Dr. Devillers says the results could be used, for example, by veterinarians to diagnose lameness or for quality assurance programs as welfare indicators. He says the data is now being analyzed, the first reports should be available in 2013 and will be communicated by the Canadian Swine Research and Development Cluster through it’s web site at SwineInnovationPorc.Ca. For Farmscape.Ca, I’m Bruce Cochrane.

Reducing Costs Feeding Canola Meal

Posted in: Press Releases, Swine Innovation by admin on November 21, 2012 | No Comments

When feed exceeds 72% of pork production cost, it forces us to explore ways to reduce feed costs beyond desperation. Recent work funded through the Canola Cluster led by Eduardo Beltranena at Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development explored opportunities for reducing feed cost feeding conventional solvent-extracted canola meal at unusually high inclusions. “We went beyond producers’ comfort level” says Beltranena.

In the past, canola meal was fed at conservative levels due to palatability issues that reduced feed intake. Over the last 30 years plant breeders have bred canola varieties containing progressively lower levels of glucosinolates. Canola meal produced today typically tests 5 to 6 instead of 30 µmol/g before that was the threshold to call it ‘canola’ instead of ‘rapeseed’. “We have tested loads as low as 2” says Eduardo. “The bitter taste imparted by glucosinolates is no longer a palatability concern even at today’s high canola meal inclusion in pig and poultry diets”.

The other issue feeding canola meal to pigs is a relative high fibre content that limits its dietary energy value. “We now formulate diets on net energy instead of metabolizable or digestible energy basis. We better account now for the increase in heat production resulting from feeding increasing inclusion of high protein, high fibrous feedstuffs like canola meal, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) or millrun. We blamed the ingredient instead of the energy system before for the drop in growth performance due to incremental inclusions. Now formulating diets on net energy basis results in more predictable growth”. We have proven so in 3 recent studies feeding high inclusions of solvent-extracted canola meal:

In the first study, we fed increasing inclusions of canola meal in substitution for soybean meal to weaned pigs. Feeding up to 20% canola meal did not affect daily feed disappearance, weight gain, and final trial pig weight. Weaned pigs showed a tendency for reduced feed efficiency due to increasing fibre content.

A second experiment involving 1,100 hogs examined increasing inclusion of canola meal (0 – 24%) in growout diets containing 15% DDGS. Hogs fed 24% canola meal reached market weight only 3 days later than controls, with no impact on carcass weight, dressing percent, backfat, loin depth, pork yield or index.

A third commercial-scale trial with 1,100 hogs pushed canola meal inclusion further to 30% with 20% DDGS. Feed disappearance and weigh gain were reduced by 81 g/day and 9 g/day for every 10% increase in canola meal inclusion. Number of days to market weight increased by 1, carcass weight was reduced by 0.46kg, dressing percent dropped 0.4 points, and loin depth was reduced by 0.5 mm for every 10% increase in canola meal inclusion. However, hogs consumed up to 50% local coproducts instead of imported soybean meal without major reductions on hog growth performance or carcass traits.

Benefit to the Producer

It is thus feasible feeding up to 20% solvent-extracted canola meal to weaned pigs and 30% with 20% wheat DDGS in commercial hog diets formulated on net energy and digestible amino acid basis. Canola and DDGS inclusion rates will fluctuate with commodity cost and should be routinely optimized by least cost formulation. Feeding these fibrous coproducts increases gut weight at evisceration. Producers thus need to market hogs 1 – 2kg heavier live weight to achieve target carcass weight.

Feeding Sows More Efficiently

Posted in: Swine Innovation, Uncategorized by admin on November 5, 2012 | No Comments

When someone mentions feed costs, thoughts typically gravitate towards what is happening in the fi nishing barn, simply due to the influence it has on the cost of production. If we take a look at feeding the breeding herd for a moment, what are some of those things producers can implement to reduce feed costs, while maintain or increasing sow productivity?

Oilseed Co-Products as Alternative Ingredients

Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on November 2, 2012 | No Comments

Who can afford to feed fat(s) to pigs now-a-days?  With feed tallow, grease blends, and canola oil prices at record highs, oilseed and bio-diesel co-products offer an alternative to supplementing dietary fats in swine diets.  Cost per Mcal of residual oil content has changed our paradigm from considering canola as a traditional supplemental protein source to a novel dietary energy source.  Expeller pressed, extruded pressed or screw-pressed canola meal or cake, the latter two processed locally, offer opportunities to reduce producers’ feed cost and beef up dietary energy.

Abreuvoirs économiseurs d’eau pour porcs en engraissement – Comparaison de la consommation d’eau et des performances zootechniques de différents types d’abreuvoirs utilisés au Québec

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on September 25, 2012 | No Comments

L’objectif principal du projet vise à évaluer et à comparer la consommation d’eau et les performances zootechniques de porcs en engraissement abreuvés par différents types d’abreuvoirs économiseurs d’eau.

•   Mesurer et comparer la quantité d’eau consommée quotidiennement pour quatre modèles différents d’abreuvoirs utilisés fréquemment au Québec en engraissement;
•   Comparer les impacts des différents abreuvoirs sur les performances zootechniques;
•   Évaluer et comparer les impacts environnementaux de différents modèles d’abreuvoirs, dans l’optique de réduire le gaspillage d’eau;
•   Comparer les impacts économiques des différents abreuvoirs.