Finisher Nutrition a Growth Industry
Grower-finisher pigs need to be fed well to ensure success, but with feed costs increasing different options for ingredients are needed. Pulse crops are an option since they are grown in abundance in Western Canada. This includes field peas, faba...
Health Studies Proceeding at Fever Pitch
Genomics can have a major impact on the pork industry since it can help improve disease resilience. This will help pigs cope with disease, leading to a faster recovery. Serologic testing, the study of blood serum is also important in...
Move Over Multi-Vitamins and Supplements: Here Comes Carnosine
Carnosine is naturally made in the body, contains two amino acids and acts as an antioxidant. It can improve meat quality by reducing the effects of acidity in the muscles, but it can also reduce muscle fatigue and improve muscle...
Swine Health Research Just as the Doctor Ordered
Pig health is important in protecting the herd and the bottom line. Three threats to pigs include Brachyspira, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv). Brachyspira can be deadly and research is being done on its antibiotic resistnce...
Pork Industry has Appetite for Feed Options
The greatest cost of pig production is feed, which is up to 70% of the total expenses. Prices for feed ingredients are continuing to rise so alternative feed sources or co-products are being investigated to help lower these costs. Pigs...
Pork Belly Technology that’s Made to Measure
Measuring pork quality is still carried out using time-consuming, manual and subjective methods. Ribless belly is measured through picking it up and assessing how soft or firm it is. If a new technology was created to do this objectively, workers...
Can Micro-Nutrients make a Macro Difference for Piglets?
As litter size increases, birth weight and litter weight are decreasing and the piglets may not be receiving proper nutrition. Piglets are naturally dependent nutritionally on their mother until 135 days, which equals the whole post-weaning period. Micronutrients were screened...
Conestoga a Big Fan of Pig Cooling System
Since pigs do not have sweat glands, it can be hard for them to cool themselves down. This can be very dangerous to the pigs or even fatal, especially in transport. To help with this problem, ventilation systems and water...
When Wounds Talk, Researchers Listen
Carcass lesions can help tell how the pig was injured. Lesions are both an economic and welfare issue, as they impact the carcass quality and cause pain for the animal. Usually they occur when mixing unfamiliar pigs, often before slaughter....
Researchers Have a Ball Helping Pigs Play
Enrichment to help enhance animal welfare is a requirement in the updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs. An accelerometer can measure the acceleration of enrichment objects, and therefore how much they are used. Some objects,...
PRRS Research Prompts Infectious Enthusiasm
A common swine disease in Canada is porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and it is a very expensive disease for the swine industry. It spreads in many ways, including through pigs, the air or fomites like equipment and clothing....
Feed Research Has Finger on the Pulses
Pulse crops like lentils, field peas and faba beans may be a cheaper option for swine feed. These ingredients are highly available in Canada and though often used for human consumption, when they are downgraded they could be a cheap...
