Better Pork April 2017
Articles in the April 2017 Better Pork Include: Beyond the Barn: Creating Swine Surrogates for Leading Boars, New Gadget for Cooking Bacon, Lessons Learned from H1N1 Outbreak, Ensuring Biosecurity at Boar Studs Male pigs have been developed that can produce sperm genetically identical to a selected...
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 travel through imported feed from...
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 Welfare Flying Fish Brewery in...
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 website, Extra Crispy, is looking...
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 Unique tastings of beer and...
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 of Pigs requires that barns...
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 aggression levels are increased in...
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 reduce immunity and impair gut...
Compounding Iron Dextran with NSAIDs for Use in Piglets at Time of Processing
NSAIDs are often given at processing along with iron dextran and it is tempting to given them together to reduce the number of injections to the piglet. Mixing these products is not allowed under the Canadian Assurance program, though it does happen occasionally so possible...
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 feed intake and when consumed...