Bert Driessen

Behavior of piglets after castration with or without carbon dioxide anesthesia

Surgical castration of male piglets without anesthesia is a routine management practice conducted on commercial pig farms. For animal welfare reasons, it would be beneficial to develop methods of practical pain relief. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of providing CO₂ anesthesia before castration on the behavior of piglets for up to 8 d after castration in comparison with piglets castrated without anesthesia. In 3 successive replicates, the behavior of 186 male piglets castrated with (n = 95) or without (n = 91) anesthesia was observed for up to 8 d after castration. All piglets in a given replicate were castrated on the same day, before 8 d of age. Behavioral observations were carried out in accordance with a continuous focal sampling procedure that began immediately after castration and continued for a period of 1 wk. Barrows anesthetized with CO₂ before castration displayed more interactive behaviors during the overall observation period than the other barrows (P = 0.0412), which may indicate better welfare. Assessing all observation periods separately, differences in activity at the udder, lying, walking, and interactive behaviors appeared to support the beneficial effect of providing CO₂ anesthesia before castration. However, these differences varied over time between treatment groups. The most important conclusion was that piglets castrated with or without CO₂ anesthesia displayed behaviors indicative of pain and discomfort for up to 6 d after castration. Therefore, additional analgesia may be necessary to eliminate the long-term pain caused by castration even in piglets anesthetized with CO₂ before castration.

Variability in the eruption of the permanent incisor teeth in sheep

The incisor teeth of 176 sheep of six breeds were inspected every two to three months for a year to record the shedding of the deciduous teeth and the eruption of the permanent teeth. In all the breeds the permanent central incisors erupted at between 12 and 18 months of age. In 96 per cent of the sheep the permanent middle incisors erupted at between 18 and 26 months; and in 92 per cent the permanent lateral incisors erupted at between 24 and 36 months of age. The permanent corner teeth erupted at between 32 and 44 months in 96 per cent of the sheep. The gingival redness and swelling accompanying the eruption of a permanent tooth disappeared within two months. In 14 cases two pairs of incisors erupted during the year, in 18 cases the incisors erupted asymmetrically, and in 22 cases no incisors erupted. Rotation of one incisor was observed in five sheep and was combined with dental deviation in one.

Rearing finishing pigs with intact tails: do they benefit from an enriched environment?

ABSTRACT In an attempt to prevent tail biting in pigs, tail docking is often done. This management procedure is painful for the pigs, so the question arises whether pigs can be raised with intact tails and whether these pigs would benefit from an enriched environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavior and performance of fattening pigs with intact tails in an enriched environment and fattening pigs in a more barren environment. A total of 94 pigs with different genetic backgrounds (type C pigs: predisposed to better carcass traits vs. type G: predisposed to better growth) were followed up during the fattening period (30‐110 kg). Half of these pigs (n = 48) were housed in 4 barren control pens (a hanging toy as enrichment). The other half of the pigs (n = 46) were housed in 4 enriched pens (a hanging toy, straw blocks in a dispenser, and a hiding wall). Type C and type G pigs were equally spread over these treatments, but were housed separately (n = 2 pens/type/treatment). Behavioral observations were carried out once a week, and the presence of skin lesions was recorded every 14 days. Pigs were weighed individually on 4 occasions (start of the study, 6 and 12 weeks later and at slaughter), and simultaneously, tail lengths were also measured. The results revealed a general higher frequency of ear biting compared to tail biting in both barren and enriched pens. However, a higher frequency of tail biting was observed in enriched pens in the period between weight 3 and slaughter (90‐110 kg) compared to barren pens. The restriction of movements around the pen and restricted access to the straw dispensers caused by the hiding wall, in combination with decreased space allowance due to weight gain, might have resulted in increased tail biting. When looking at the entire fattening period, this higher frequency of tail biting in enriched pens was mainly observed in type G pigs, while no difference between barren and enriched pens was found for type C pigs. Pigs in enriched pens had a higher average daily weight gain over the entire fattening period. Pigs predisposed to better growth (type G) had a higher average individual weight and longer tails than pigs predisposed to better carcass traits at the start of the fattening stage, yet daily weight gain and daily growth of the tail over the entire fattening stage did not differ between pig types. In conclusion, the presence of both straw dispensers and a hiding wall did not contribute to a lower frequency of biting behavior and aggressive behavior. Tail biting increased in enriched pens during the last period of the fattening stage. The results suggest that genetic background should be considered when investigating the cause of tail‐biting outbreaks and when evaluating the effect of enrichment on tail biting.

Head current during and blood splashes after electrical stunning in relation to characteristics of the pig's body.

In order to evaluate electrical stunning in relation to the incidence of blood splashes, meat quality and carcass quality parameters, 2035 pigs, heterozygous for the halothane gene, were observed during slaughter at a commercial slaughterhouse. The head current during electrical stunning is significantly higher (P<0.01) in gilts with a lower live weight (P<0.0001) or cold carcass weight (P<0.0001) and a higher lean meat percentage (P<0.0001). Also the incidence of blood splashes in the ham is significantly higher in gilts (P<0.0001) with a higher lean meat percentage (P=0.0028; odds ratio=1.11), a lower live weight (P=0.003; odds ratio=0.98) and a lower type number (P=0.0074; odds ratio=0.64). For barrows, no significant parameters were revealed. These results suggest that the variability in incidence of blood splashes can be explained by the variability of current density depending both on sex and body characteristics. Thus, electrical stunning can be improved by providing an energy level, based on the body characteristics of the pig.

Sire line of pigs affects weaning weight, growth performance, and carcass characteristics of offspring1

Today, early weaning is more frequently applied by the modern pig breeder to obtain more litters per year. In addition, more and more European pig breeders apply a batch management system, which allows weaning to occur at fixed time points but entails that the offspring are treated at the litter level and not as individuals. Both evolutions might result in weaning lightweight piglets, which can cause, e.g., growth retardation of the offspring. Hence, the objective of this research was to improve the weaning weight of piglets of the same age by breeding with a highly conformed sire line. Therefore, a total of 23 sows were inseminated, 10 sows with semen of a well-conformed sire line (sire line B) and 13 sows with semen of a less conformed boar (sire line A). In total, 299 offspring were observed to monitor behavior, growth performance, and carcass characteristics. Subsequently, linear mixed models were developed to analyze the growth performance and carcass characteristics wherein only variables classified as significant ( < 0.05) were introduced as fixed factors. Results indicate that no significantly increased weaning weight could be accomplished by breeding with semen of sire line B. This could be due to the significant ( < 0.05) shorter gestation length of sows inseminated with semen of sire line B. However, the offspring of sire line B was defined by better carcass classification characteristics. Furthermore, this study presents that the mean birth weight of each piglet was significantly lower if a bigger litter size was recorded. When considering behavior, it was observed that piglets that did not seclude themselves from the litter had a significantly greater daily weight gain from birth to weaning compared to piglets that showed signs of isolation from the litter. A significantly greater daily gain from birth to slaughter was established for piglets with a greater birth weight. Also, results indicate that barrows had a significantly greater daily growth from weaning to slaughter than gilts. To conclude, this research determines that breeding with highly conformed sire lines does not improve the weaning weight of the offspring and thus cannot serve as a solution for early weaning. However, more research is required by performing more experiments with a greater number of boars and sows to confirm this result. In general, this study allows researchers to continue to improve and standardize the weaning weight of piglets of the same age.

The perception of biosecurity, management, and labour of batch management production systems among pig producers

Abstract: Nowadays, batch management systems (BMSs) are more frequently applied on a pig farm than traditional continuous production systems. But until now, little research has been identified about pig breeders’ perceptions of BMSs. Therefore, a survey was built to assess advantages and disadvantages, perceived by producers of each BMS, focusing on biosecurity, management, and labour. The survey was completed by 45 farmers. Results revealed that 4-BMS and 5-BMS farmers were more satisfied about hygiene (P=0.0060) and health conditions (P=0.0225) on their farm compared with the other farmers. This could be explained by the need for only one farrowing room and the low number of batches required in both BMSs. Possibly due to this higher satisfaction about their biosecurity, a reduced piglet vaccination coverage (P=0.0399) and more labour efficient management (P=0.0101), were indicated by those farmers. However, almost none of those farmers indicated the absence of labour peaks in the list of advantages, probably because the weekly routines differ over weeks, unlike a 1-BMS and a 3-BMS. To conclude, this research provides essential information about farmers’ perceptions concerning biosecurity, management, and labour for all BMSs, but these results need to be confirmed by quantitative biosecurity measurements.

The perception about batch management production systems among pig producers

Abstract: This research investigates and evaluates different management systems, based on experiences of professional pig farmers to assist pig farmers in their choice for an appropriate management system. Flemish (Belgian) pig farmers were asked to complete a survey concerning the characteristics of their farm and the applied batch management system (BMS). Hence, advantages and disadvantages of all management systems could be investigated. Results indicate that labour efficiency seems to be the major reason for applying a BMS compared with the continuous management system. The results also reveal a significant association (P < 0.05) between the type of BMS applied and the number of sows at the farm. Furthermore, the weaning age of piglets depends significantly on the applied BMS. Finally, results pointed out that, in general, a 4 wk BMS (4-BMS) is indicated by the farmers as a labour efficient and profitable management system, although farmers perceived a reduced biological performance when applying a 4-BMS because piglets are weaned early. More research is required to solve current disadvantages of a 4-BMS, such as early weaning, and to confirm the perception of the pig breeders by analysing economic and technical data of the farm in such a way that BMS can further develop and improve.

Relation between selenomethionine in dietary selenium sources and selenium deposition in broiler

K. Muuttoranta, A.-M. Tyrisevä, E.A. Mäntysaari, J. Pösö, G.P. Aamand, J.-Å. Eriksson, U.S. Nielsen, M.H. Lidauer Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Myllytie 1, FI-31600 Jokioinen, Finland, Faba Co-op, P.O. BOX 40, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland, Nordic Cattle Genetic Evaluation, Agro Food Park 15, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark, Växa Sweden, Box 288, 75105 Uppsala, Sweden, SEGES Cattle, Agro Food Park 15, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; kirsi.muuttoranta@luke.fiLocal and commercial dairy breeds form organic farms were compared regarding production traits, direct health traits and health associated functional or conformation traits. Preliminary results revealded lower milk yield for local breeds, but in many cases better fertility. Analysis of useful lifetime indicates a superiority of locals breeds for this traits, whereas commercial breeds showed a higher lifetime production.This study aimed to identify organic dairy major farm types (MFTs) in seven European countries, describe these MFTs in an open research database and assess central characteristics of the MFTs. This was conducted in a three-step procedure including (1) Identification of organic MFTs in seven European countries: Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden, based on existing data from dairy databases and consultations with experts within the respective fields of knowledge; (2) Collection of data on farm characteristics, management procedures, production level and herd health from at least 10 farms per MFT and country and (3) Creating an open research database on MFT characteristics, description of essential characteristics of MFTs and assessment of similarities and differences between farms within and across MFTs. The results indicate variations in herd characteristics such as production level, herd size, farm size, housing system, milking system and cow health status between organic dairy farms in these seven European countries. It also indicates variations in management strategies such as feeding, animal health management and recruitment strategies across the organic dairy sector in Europe. These variations seem to be associated with differences between regions and countries in the conditions for organic dairy production, such as topography, land availability and regulations.