Better Pork February 2017
Articles in the February 2017 Better Pork Include: Beyond the Barn: Importing Viruses via Feed, Shopping for Bacon in Virtual Reality, Canadian Pork Industry Hoping TPP Won’t be DOA (Dead on Arrival), Label Claims for the 98% Viral pathogens can...
Better Pork October 2016
Articles in the October 2016 Better Pork Include: Beyond the Barn: Brewing a New Use for Pork, Canadian-Produced PED Vaccine in the Works, Social (Ag)Media: How to Cook Your Pork and Connect with Consumers, Getting With the Plan, Selling Swine...
Better Pork August 2016
Articles in the August 2016 Better Pork Include: Beyond the Barn: Social (Ag)Media, Bacon Critic Wanted, New Tech to Ensure Manure Pit Safety, The Loose Housing Revolution Many producers are on social media. Accounts about agriculture are listed. A breakfast...
Better Pork June 2016
Articles in the June 2016 Better Pork Include: Beyond the Barn: Stratford Hope Bacon and Ale will Lure Shakespeare Buffs, PRRS Resistant Hog a ‘Potential Game Changer”, Turning Manure Mountains into Gold, Spike in Barn Fires Causes Rising Public Concern...
Finding Effective Enrichments for Group Housed Sows
Group housing is a socially enriched environment, but aggression is still a risk due to competition for resources like territory and food. Providing enrichment can reduce aggression and stereotypic behaviours. The Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling...
Determining Effective Enrichments for Group Housed Sows
Providing enrichment improves biological functioning and the well-being of animals. For pigs reared in Canada, this is now a requirement. It promotes positive social behaviour and is an outlet for their highly motivated exploratory behaviour. Adverse behaviours, stereotypic behaviours and...
Stimulating Exploratory Behavior in Piglets: Effects on Pre-Weaning Creep Consumption
Weaning is a very stressful experience for piglets due to removal of the sow, diet changes, mixing with other litters and a change of pen environment. They often fail to consume feed so growth reductions are often seen. This can...
Increasing Creep Feed Intake by Stimulating Exploratory Behaviour using Enrichment
Multiple significant changes occur simultaneously during weaning making it a highly stressful time for piglets. Increased cortisol levels and weight loss are often noted after weaning, resulting in increased disease risk and mortality. Providing creep feed before weaning promotes solid...
Effect of Rubber Flooring and Social Grouping on the Utilization of Free Space for Sows in Walk-in/Lock-in Stalls
A gestation stall alternative are walk-in/lock-in stalls, a group housing design that gives sows a choice to the communal area or to remain in the stall while providing individual feeding protection. Most sows use the free space area, but they...
Early Detection and Interventions for Reducing Lameness in Gestating Sows
One of the most common reasons for culling sows in lameness. Overall herd productivity, sow welfare and sow productivity can be increased if treatment and prevention of lameness is implemented. In order for sows to generate profit, they must remain...
Investigation of Translactational Analgesia for Reducing Piglet Pain at Castration
Painful livestock procedure concern is increasing, with one of pig productions key issues being castration of piglets. Castration is done in male piglets to avoid ‘boar taint’ which is the development of undesirable odours that can occur in the meat...
Temperament Traits Related to Stress and Meat Quality: Are they Reliable and Heritable?
Welfare, ease of handling, stockperson labour required to move and productivity are all influenced by the susceptibility of pigs to stress. Severe losses for packers and producers often arise from stress during transport and handling of pigs at marketing. This...
