Novel strategies to control mycotoxins
Alvin Alvarado, Bernardo Predicala – Mycotoxins in grain, especially deoxynivalenol (DON), are a common problem for pig producers. In North America, most grain samples contain some level of DON, which can reduce feed intake and slow pig growth. Researchers tested...
Comparing groups and stalls – what does the data say?
Shuang Luo, Jen-Yun Chou – Many producers worry that a move from sow stalls to group sow housing could hurt productivity, especially due to pregnancy loss or fertility problems. Researchers looked at records from 12 commercial swine farms in Saskatchewan—six...
Successful floor feeding: how to do it right
Jen-Yun Chou – This is Part 2 of the ‘Barn Insights Series’, which focuses on practical solutions to group sow housing. In this second part, Jen-Yun describes her visit to Dave DeVries’ sow barn in Ontario. They use a floor...
Impact of indigestible protein on nursery pig performance and intestinal health
T.J. Erinle, O.O. Babatunde, J.K. Htoo, S.M. Mendoza, D.A. Columbus – It is unclear what factors are primarily responsible for the negative response to high protein diets. Factors other than total dietary protein content are likely involved. The concept of...
Evaluation, optimization, and field validation of a rapid detection kit for Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv)
Bernardo Predicala, Yuriy Kryachko, D. Korber – Accurate and rapid detection of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) is essential for the implementation of control measures. A rapid PEDv test kit from the Philippines showed suitability for detecting PEDv strains in...
Enrichments for phase of production
Miranda Smit, Ken Engele, Jen-Yun Chou- Environmental enrichment plays a different role as pigs grow and age. For example, enrichment for growing pigs focuses mainly on reduction of boredom and stress, improvement of performance, and prevention of damaging behaviours, whereas...
Influence of dietary nitrogen content and source to improve growth performance and lean gain in finisher pigs
Daniel Columbus- Previous trials done in grower pigs have shown that it is possible to replace some dietary protein or amino acids (AA) with a source of non-protein nitrogen (NPN) such as ammonium phosphate, while maintaining growth performance. However, the...
Does providing high vitamin diets in gestation improve performance and passive immunity?
Hannah Burlet, Frederic Beaudoin, Beatrice Sauve, Laetitia Cloutier, Matheus Costa, Danyel Bueno Dalto – While studies have looked at increasing a subset of vitamins during gestation, no published works have looked at increasing the concentrations of all vitamins normally included...
Finding balance: What is good for the animals is good for production
Jen-Yun Chou – This is Part 1 of the ‘Barn Insights Series’, which focuses on practical solutions to group sow housing. In this first part, Jen-Yun describes her visit to Marcel Egli’s sow barn in Ontario. They use a system...
Creep feeding handbook
This handbook discusses the potential benefits and challenges of creep feeding. The handbook gives an overview of the effects of creep feed on sow and piglet performance, and piglet behaviour and physiology. It also talks about which piglets in a...
The effect of standard and large pellet creep feed on the performance and blood parameters of weanling pigs
Jen-Yun Chou, Kylie Kallal, Abigail Tillotson – It is recommended that diets designed for young pigs should include less carbohydrates and lysine and more fibre to minimise insulin spikes. High fibre ingredients typically contain higher iron levels compared to more...
Promoting play behaviour in grow-finish pigs
Karolína Steinerová, Yolande Seddon – Play behaviour has been associated with excitement and fun, suggesting that playing animals experience pleasurable states. To determine if the provision of play opportunities could enhance the quality of life of pigs, this study investigated...
