Literature Review and Needs Assessment of Housing Systems for Gestating Sows in Group Pens with Individual Feeding
Group housing is a complex system, but it is one that the society is moving towards. There are many options in regard to choosing group housing for gestating sows. The housing systems from lowest to highest welfare are: tethers and...
Effects of Temperament and Floor Space Allowance on Sows at Grouping
Producers are changing their facilities to group housing for sows. Spacious accommodation has been shown to reduce aggression and increase general health but the point of crowding is not known. Observations were made in order to configure space requirements and...
Does Palatability Affect the Intake of Peas in Pigs?
Field peas are an excellent feed ingredient for swine due to the high content in certain essential amino acids and digestible energy. They are also a major source of income for Western Canada farmers. Concerns about feed intake and taste...
Evaluation of Temperature Conditions in Trucks During Transport of Market Pigs to Slaughter in Four Seasons
Temperature and humidity conditions vary significantly in different compartments in trucks that transport market pigs. Transportation of pigs can involve economic losses due to death, reduced meat quality and welfare concerns. More losses are reported in the summer with specific...
Food Court Design for Large Group Auto-Sort for Grow-Finish Pigs
Costs can be improved by improving the ability to sort pigs within their pen. Since large groups are used for grow/finish pens, auto-sort scales are often used. Aggression in pigs is similar in both large and small group sizes, with...
Evaluation of Water Use and Potential Conservation Strategies in Swine Barns
The rate of water use in swine production impacts the overall production cost and the environment. It is usually used for cleaning, animal drinking, cooling and domestic use. The quantity of water use in the different production stages and units...
Evaluation of Methods for Controlling and Monitoring Occupational Exposure of Workers in Swine Facilities
Different management and engineering measures can control the levels of air contaminants like dust and ammonia in swine facilities. This helps lower the safety risk of workers in the barn. Control measures were assessed on their effectiveness on decreasing respirable...
Comparative Evaluation of the Use of Heat Exchanger, Ground Source Heat Pump and Conventional Heating Systems in Grow-Finish Rooms
Profitability of swine production will be improved with any measure that reduces production cost. Using energy efficiently will help reduce the cost of energy. This can be done in the area of space heating. Energy consumption, in barn environment and...
Controlling Environmental Emissions from Swine Barns using Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles
A long-term concern to humans, animals and the environment are the environmental emissions produced by hog production operations. Previous work investigated nanoparticles and their ability to control hydrogen sulphide, ammonia and odour emissions from swine manure. Zinc oxide nanoparticles had...
The Effect of Different Feed Ingredients on Fermentation Metabolites and Nitrogen Excretion in Pigs
Protein and dietary fibre fermentation in the pig intestine may have harmful or beneficial effects on gut health and the environment. Fermentable fibres can be a source of energy for the pig and can also decrease ammonia concentration in the...
In Vitro Fibre Fermentation Characteristics of Specialty Ingredients with Varying Non-Starch Polysaccharides Levels
New alternative feed ingredients with functional properties to improve gut health while having a positive impact on the environment are wanted in the pork industry. Fermenting dietary fibre in the intestine results in short-chain fatty acids forming which stimulate growth...
Effect of an NSP-Hydrolysing Enzyme (Rovabio Excel®) in the Diet of Lactating Sows on Feed Intake, Body Condition and Litter Performance and In Vivo and In Vitro Nutrient Digestibility
The main ingredients in cereal grains are protein and starch. These nutrients are surrounded by non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) which are indigestible carbohydrates. To release the nutrients, the cell wall must be broken down, but this is difficult as some are...
