Animal Well-being
Protecting low ranking sows in group-housing systems
March 1, 2014By Yuzhi Li
Background: In group-housing systems, low-ranking sows are usually defeated and injured by high ranking sows. This results in low-ranking sows becoming fearful of further conflicts when...
Animal Well-being
Effects of Mixed and Uniform Parity Groupings on Feeding Behaviour, Welfare and Productivity of Sows in ESF Housing
January 29, 2014By Jennifer Brown
Electronic sow feeder (ESF) systems are a practical method for managing sows in group housing, as they provide an automated system for controlling individual feed intake. However, increased...
Animal Well-being
Establishing Bedding and Boarding Requirements for Finisher Pigs Through Scientific Validation – Micro-study
December 1, 2013By Angela Green
Transport is a critical factor affecting swine welfare in modern U.S. commercial pork production. Broad temperature ranges encountered during transport can challenge pig welfare and have been...
Animal Well-being
Systematic literature review and needs assessment of housing systems for gestating sows in group pens with group feeding
October 25, 2013By Mhairi Sutherland
Gestation sow housing is a current contemporary animal welfare issue. The current political atmosphere is driving producers to consider changing back to group housing systems for gestating sows. It...
Animal Well-being
Reviewing the State of Scientific Evidence and Developing Recommendations about Pain Mitigation Strategies in Piglets Undergoing Routine Processing Procedures
September 23, 2013By Annette O’Connor
The following non-technical summary describes the recommendations from a review and decision-making process conducted between August 2012 and August 2013 by the panel at the request of the...
Animal Well-being
Translactational analgesia to reduce pain during piglet castration
July 19, 2013By Jennifer Brown
Commercially reared piglets receive a number of routine management procedures including castration, tail docking, teeth clipping, and vaccination. Castration of pigs is done primarily to avoid boar...
Animal Well-being
Evaluation of a novel means to euthanize piglets
October 18, 2012By Eric Berg
Electromagnetic (EM) energy transmitting devises that operate in the microwave frequency have been approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association for the specific use in euthanasia of...
Animal Well-being
Understanding and reducing aggression using pre-exposure, when sows are mixed in a grouped gestation system
September 20, 2012By Jeremy Marchant-Forde
The largest single challenge of keeping sows in groups is that of inter-sow aggression. We know that sows will fight when mixed and when...
Animal Well-being
On-farm validation of captive bolt technology as a single stage euthanasia method
August 19, 2012By Suzanne Millman
There has been limited published research on the use of penetrative or non- penetrating captive bolt for euthanasia of swine. The CASH...
Animal Well-being
Effect of Day Mixing Gestating Sows on Measures of Reproduction and Animal Well-Being
July 1, 2012By Robert V. Knox
Legislation and company directives to end the use of the gestation stall for reasons involving sow welfare are in effect. There is conflicting evidence regarding the effects of sows maintained in...
