Animal Well-being
Weaning sows directly into group housing: Effects on aggression, physiology and productivity
July 15, 2015By Jennifer Brown
In the management of group housed sows, keeping sows in stalls from weaning until five weeks after breeding is a common strategy that serves to prevent aggression, control individual feed intake...
Animal Well-being
A Comprehensive Literature Review on the Development, Treatment and Prevention of Shoulder Lesions in Sows
October 30, 2014By Jennifer Brown
Shoulder ulcers (shoulder lesions) in sows are most commonly observed in the first weeks of lactation, following farrowing. The prevalence of this problem varies greatly from herd to herd due to a...
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
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 Science - Swine Nutrition
The influence of increasing dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acid concentration on postpartum hypophagia and energy output in the milk via alterations in lipolytic activity and insulin sensitivity of the adipose tissue.
August 31, 2011By Denise Beaulieu
Introduction:In the hog industry it is imperative that we maximize the reproductive performance of sows in order to optimize pig flow and thus improve the economics of pork production....
Animal Well-being
Systematic Literature Review and Needs Assessment of Housing Systems for Gestating Sows in Group Pens with Individual Feeding
December 22, 2009By Harold Gonyou
Over the past 10 years, animal scientists, veterinarians, producers, and animal rights groups have debated the welfare implications of either housing sows in gestation stalls or in groups....
Environment - Air
Alternative feedstuffs for reducing ammonia and odor emissions in pork production systems and improving the pig’s gut health
October 1, 2008By Pascal Leterme
Nutrition can help reduce the impact of pork production on the environment and improve pig gut health. The formulation of diets based on highly-digestible feedstuffs and which meet the exact...
Animal Well-being
Comparison of Management Factors Affecting Aggression in Group Housed Sows
January 24, 2008By Harold Gonyou
If sows are maintained in similar groups from gestation to gestation, aggression is reduced compared to the other regrouping strategies tested. However, this method would not always be practical....
Animal Well-being
Comparison of Handling Attributes and Physiological Indicators of Stress and Welfare During Marketing of Pigs from Conventional Small Pens and Large Pen Auto Sort
January 4, 2008By Harold Gonyou
When handled through the same facilities, pigs from large and small groups required similar levels of force during handling. Difficult groups of pigs were encountered in both treatments. However,...
Environment - Air
Assessing the impact of swine sulfur intake from drinking water on odor and gaseous emissions and manure nutrients
February 12, 2007By Bernardo Predicala
To assess the impact of inputs to the pig on air quality and manure management, a study was conducted to assess the effect of varying sulfate levels in drinking water on odor and gaseous emissions...
