What can the Web Calculator do for Me?
A simple, personalizable web calculator has been developed by the Prairies Swine Centre and the Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture in order to predict the value of technology adoption. Productivity, implementation costs, and health and safety impacts are incorporated and will help...
Group Sow Housing Feeding Systems Chart
A chart on the group sow housing feeding systems with pros and cons for each system. Group Sow Housing Feeding Systems Chart (full article)...
What is the Long Term Impact of Feeding DON to Finishing Pigs?
Grains contaminated with mycotoxins are commonly downgraded for livestock feed. Best practice is to avoid using this, though that is getting increasingly difficult due to increased incidence and level of contamination. Corn, wheat, oats and barley are commonly contaminated by the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). DON...
Managing Water Intake, Auditing Best Management Practices
Water is the nutrient that is required in the greatest amount, though it often receives the least amount of attention. Finisher pigs' water intake is up to three times their feed intake, though a lot of the water intake reported includes water wastage. Nipple drinkers...
Finishing Facilities
Small changes have a large impact on the profitability of the operation in regard to finishing facilities due to the length of it. 16 finishing facilities were audited with many achieving a score above 80% for the adoption of best management practices. An area for...
Pork Quality and What it Means For a Healthy Way of Eating
For a human to lose weight, it is recommended to have a diet with low carbohydrates, moderate protein and a high amount of fat, which may be surprising. Carbohydrates stimulate insulin release which moves energy from our blood into fat reserves. High constant levels of...
Feeding Straw to Sows in Late Gestation. Benefits to Processing?
Behavioural problems due to restricted feeding in sows may be reduced and litter and sow performance during lactation may improve by feeding fiber-rich diets. The composition of the fiber (proportion of soluble to insoluble fiber) and dietary inclusion rates may cause these results to vary....
Nursery Facilities, Auditing Best Management Practices
Weaned pigs require a good environment without drafts, is dry with fresh air, water and feed in order to optimize nursery performance. Out of the 18 nursery facilities audited, management practices were good, though improvement can be made in regard to adopting enrichment. Only 11%...
Farrowing Systems, Auditing Best Management Practices
Birth to weaning is the most critical period in the life cycle of a pig. Farrowing practices directly impact the piglets and their performance and also the future breeding herd performance. 21 farms were audited across Canada to see the best management practices in farrowing....
Gestation Housing Systems, Auditing Best Management Practices
The deadline to convert to group sow housing systems is 2024. In order to help this transition go smoothly, best management practices were looked at in 24 Canadian farms. Two thirds of the barns that have already switched over use non-competitive systems such as free-access...