Ventilation systems
As part of the brochure ‘Managing energy cost in the barn’, this section talks about the goals of a ventilation system and how to reduce energy use of the ventilation system, including proper controller settings, energy efficient fans, and air...
Response of growing hogs to the inclusion of hybrid rye in low or high energy diets
Hybrid rye has the potential to be a cost-effective ingredient in swine diets. Several studies observed slightly reduced feed intake for pigs fed increasing hybrid rye substituting for wheat or corn, which in turn resulted in lower average daily weight...
New and alternative sanitization procedures for antibiotic-free swine barns
Certain barns that switched to antibiotic-free production observed increased prevalence of pathogens after a few years on the program. Developing improved sanitization and disinfection procedures is an important step to reduce the pathogen load in antibiotic-free barns, which was the...
Effects of gestation sow grouping practices on aggression and production
A concern with any type of group housing is the aggression performed when mixing unfamiliar sows into a group, as they compete to form a social hierarchy. Ongoing aggression is another related concern. It is important to understand how different...
Dietary nitrogen content affects lysine requirement and nitrogen utilization and retention in growing pigs
When dietary protein is reduced by more than 3%, non-essential amino acids or total dietary protein may become limiting for maximum nitrogen (N) retention (i.e., lean gain) and growth performance. It has been suggested that the ratio of essential amino...
Inclusion of non-protein nitrogen and lysine in grower pig diets on growth performance
Results from our previous study demonstrated that inclusion of non-protein nitrogen (NPN) in a diet with a high essential amino acid-nitrogen:total nitrogen (E:T) ratio (i.e. limiting in total nitrogen [N]) increased the Lys requirement and maximum N retention in growing...
Inclusion of non-protein nitrogen in grower pig diets on lysine requirement for maximum nitrogen retention
Low protein diets have improved nutrient utilization while maintaining animal performance. However, these diets may be limiting in nitrogen (N) content to meet non-essential amino acid (NEAA) requirements, potentially altering essential amino acid (EAA) utilization and requirements. Inclusion of a...
Non-essential amino acids affect nitrogen retention in pigs
Low-protein diets supplemented with essential amino acids (EAA) can improve growth and performance. However, the dietary amount of non-essential amino acids (NEAA) may be a limiting factor in these diets. This may ultimately affect the efficient utilization of the dietary...
Application of nanotechnology for mitigation of DON in wheat grains
A series of laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to determine the most promising nanomaterials and to optimize its operational requirements for appropriate application in mitigating mycotoxin contamination in feed grains and formulated swine diets. Three candidate nanomaterials were selected for testing...
Can slat-compatible enrichment influence the behaviour and response of pigs to a disease challenge?
Rearing pigs in highly enriched environments with a greater space allowance and provision of substrates (straw, mushroom compost, sawdust, wood branches) for rooting and chewing has been found to reduce the disease susceptibility of pigs to co-infection with PRRSv and...
Road and disease-challenge tests with a modified prototype livestock trailer
The overall goal of the work conducted was to assess the performance of an improved prototype livestock trailer with ventilation, heating, misting and air filtration systems in maintaining a welfare-friendly and pathogen-free environment during transport. The testing and evaluation comprised...
