Acorns for fattening free-range pigs (OK-Net Ecofeed Practice Abstract)

- The fattening performance is very much influenced by the age of pigs and their compensatory growth; hence, pigs should be as old as possible (≥1 year) and adapted to grazing. - Grass is necessary as a source of protein to compensate for the low protein levels in acorns. - The food conversion rate is 10.5 kg of whole acorns of Q. i. rotundifolia to gain 1 kg, besides the contribution of grass; to establish the stocking rate, consider that an adult evergreen oak produces ≈11 kg of acorns/year). - Iberian pigs peel acorns to avoid the high content of tannins in the shell. However, during peeling, approxi-mately 20% of the kernel can be wasted

Free-range pigs foraging on Jerusalem artichokes

Free-range pig production in Northern Europe is characterized by high inputs of concentrate on grassland. This increases risk of nutrient leaching, increases feed costs and puts a pressure on land resources. Pigs’ unique ability to find a part of their food directly in the field where they are kept should be taken into consideration. One below ground field forage characterized by very high yields and with great potential as fodder source is Jerusalem Artichokes (JA) tubers. The nutritional contribution from free-range foraging, growth, feed conversion and behaviour were investigated in 36 growing pigs foraging on JA and fed concentrates restrictedly (30 % of energy recommendations) or ad libitum. Behavioural observations were carried out weekly over the entire experimental period of 40 days. The average daily consumption of concentrate was 51 MJ and 11 MJ ME pig-1 for pigs fed ad libitum and restrictedly, respectively. Compared to the ad libitum fed pigs, the pigs fed restrictedly had a significant lower daily gain (560 vs. 1,224 g pig-1), improved feed conversion ratio (17.6 vs. 42.8 MJ ME concentrate kg-1 live weight gain) and spent more time foraging JA tubers (7.9 vs. 1.1%). Body conditions were comparable between the two treatments. It is estimated that pigs fed restrictedly found approximately 60% of their energy requirement from foraging in the range and consumed 1.3 kg to 1.6 kg DM of JA pig-1 per day. The results indicate good possibilities for substituting a large proportion of concentrates with home-grown JA tubers biological harvested by foraging pigs. Future studies are needed to reveal the most appropriate concentrate feeding regime when combined with foraging JA in relation to consequences for growth and feed conversion, but also for meat quality, animal health and nutrient balances

Search for the ideal laying hen for organic and free range systems

Since 1960 the majority of commercial layers are housed in cages. Non-cage housing started to appear again from 1980 onwards and increases in importance. It is questionable if birds bred to perform in cages are also suited for free range housing. We examined the performance of current genotypes in free range systems (organic and conventional) by an inventory among laying hen farmers in Switzerland, The Netherlands and France (325 flocks on 275 farms) and organised workshops with farmers to discuss their ideas on breeding goals (‘the ideal hen’) for free range systems

Mortality in organic free-range chickens and molecular characterization of the involved pathogens

Longitudinal investigations on causes of mortality were carried out at one organic layer farm with four flocks of Lohman Brown and Lohman White chickens producing table eggs. All flocks were housed separately. One flock of each breed were followed from September 2001 to August 2002. Post mortem examinations were performed on a total of 16% of the dead chickens over the entire period. Of these 346 (96%) of the Lohmann Brown and 315 (91%) of the Lohmann White chickens were subjected for bacteriology. High mortality rates, 91% and 63% were observed in Lohman Brown and Lohman White chickens, respectively and were found to be due to infections with mainly Pasteurella multocida, Erysipelothix rhusiopathia and Escherichia coli. E. rhusiopathia, P. multocida and E. coli were isolated from 46%, 19% and 17%, respectively of the Lohmann Brown chickens. In the flock of Lohmann White chickens P. multocida and E. coli were isolated from 46% and 15%, respectively while E. rhusiopathia was not recorded. P. multocida and E. rhusiopathia isolates were characterized by Restriction Endonuclease Analysis (REA), Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and Pulse Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). It was demonstrated that all the P. multocida isolates were genotypic identical over time. The E. rhusiopathia isolates obtained were also identical. It was concluded that the outbreaks caused by P. multocida and E. rhusiopathia were clonal and these two pathogens may cause severe losses in free-range chickens

Elm Farm Organic Research Centre Bulletin 83 April 2006

Regular bulleting with technical updates from Organic Advisory Service Issue contains: Testing for Tolerance - a pragmatic view GM Debate Vaccination nation - to jab or not to jab Future shape of OCIS Evolutionary wheat makes the grade? NIAB tracks health of organic cereal seed Stopping erosion of soil quality - the organic way Care needed to halt butterfly collapse Aspects of poultry behaviour: How free range is free range? On choosing an organic wheat A local education challenge New Wakelyns Science Building Organic vegetable market growt

Effect of breed suitability, system design and management on welfare & performance in traditional & organic poultrymeat (OF0153)

Background Over the past fifty years broiler production accounted for almost all of the meat chickens produced in the UK. As a result, only broiler hybrids were available for use by UK producers, and these were not thought to be suited for use in some extensive production systems. This meant that when consumer demand for extensively produced chicken meat increased in the late 1990s producers were unable to quickly identify and source the most suitable hybrids for UK conditions. Furthermore, systems of extensive production were still being developed, and little was known about design and management factors affecting range usage. Project OF0153 aimed to characterise breed suitability for extensive production (free-range, traditional free-range and organic production) and to assess the contribution of management and system design on bird performance, range usage and animal welfare parametres. Objectives 1. To characterise performance, behaviour and meat yields in several hybrids by permitting the genotypes to express themselves under non-limiting conditions, and when fed either presumed non-limiting rations or Label Rouge rations. 2. To establish the interactive effects of breed and post brooding temperature on performance, meat yields and the insulative value of feather cover. 3. To examine the effect of range design on performance, bird well-being and range usage when grown in winter months. 4. To examine the effects of brooding facility and range design on performance, bird well-being and range usage when grown in summer months. 5. To characterise bird movement within a standard controlled environment house and a free-range house. 6. To examine the interactive effects of brooding facility and feed and water provision on mortality and performance of free-range ISA 657 birds. 7. To examine the effects of early nutrient intake on mortality and performance of ISA 657 chicks brooded in free-range facilities. The work was done in three phases. Phase 1 characterised, across a wide range of breeds, suitability for use in extensive production systems and concluded that it is possible to choose breeds suitable for extensive production systems. Phase 2 examined the effects of system design and management on range usage and bird performance. Early access to pasture increased range usage, and natural shelter in the form of a conifer wig-wam was attractive to the birds and well used. Brooding in the low-tech free-range facilities was extremely labour intensive and sometimes resulted in higher mortality than when brooding was done in a controlled environment facility. Brooding mortality in the free-range facilities was due to difficulties in achieving an appropriate thermal environment at all times of the day and night. Phase 3 comprised two studies. Study 6 examined the effects of brooder facility, and feed and water provision during early life on mortality and performance to 81 days of age. In a factorial design, chicks were brooded in the climatic house or free-range facilities, and allowed standard or generous feed and water provision. Study 7 examined the effects of early nutrient intake on mortality and performance and in this study chicks were brooded only in the free-range facilities. Implications of findings, future work and policy relevance The research characterised the relative merits of varying breed, management and rearing options, for extrapolation to a range of extensive poultry production systems. Producers may choose from the wide range of hybrids available, those that best suit their production system, in terms of live weight at slaughter, meat conformation and behaviour. There is a more substantial and detailed executive summary at the start of the attached main report

The spatial ecology of free-ranging domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) in western Kenya

Background In many parts of the developing world, pigs are kept under low-input systems where they roam freely to scavenge food. These systems allow poor farmers the opportunity to enter into livestock keeping without large capital investments. This, combined with a growing demand for pork, especially in urban areas, has led to an increase in the number of small-holder farmers keeping free range pigs as a commercial enterprise. Despite the benefits which pig production can bring to a household, keeping pigs under a free range system increases the risk of the pig acquiring diseases, either production-limiting or zoonotic in nature. This study used Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to track free range domestic pigs in rural western Kenya, in order to understand their movement patterns and interactions with elements of the peri-domestic environment. Results We found that these pigs travel an average of 4,340 m in a 12 hr period and had a mean home range of 10,343 m2 (range 2,937–32,759 m2) within which the core utilisation distribution was found to be 964 m2 (range 246–3,289 m2) with pigs spending on average 47% of their time outside their homestead of origin. Conclusion These are the first data available on the home range of domestic pigs kept under a free range system: the data show that pigs in these systems spend much of their time scavenging outside their homesteads, suggesting that these pigs may be exposed to infectious agents over a wide area. Control policies for diseases such as Taenia solium, Trypanosomiasis, Trichinellosis, Toxoplasmosis or African Swine Fever therefore require a community-wide focus and pig farmers require education on the inherent risks of keeping pigs under a free range system. The work presented here will enable future research to incorporate movement data into studies of disease transmission, for example for the understanding of transmission of African Swine Fever between individuals, or in relation to the life-cycle of parasites including Taenia solium

Male chicken thigh meat quality from fast and slow growing breeds from an organic free-range system

Significant effects of Genotype and Age on several of the technological meat quality attributes measured were found. In general, the meat from fast growing birds (JA) was darker, more tender, had a higher water-binding but a higher cooking loss. Birds with a higher age at slaughter was more red, less tender and had a higher cooking loss. Regarding the protein concentration of the feed, no significant effects could be found on meat quality attributes, however a high protein concentration in the feed showed a tendency towards more tender meat

Vaccination nation? Civilised strategies for protecting outdoor poultry from Avian Flu H5N1

An analysis of the threat of H5N1 Avian Flu virus to the UK, the potential impact on UK organic and free range poultry production and the evidence for a policy of vaccination

Hedonic Analysis of Sustainable Food Products

hedonic, sustainable, sustainability, eggs, free-range, cage-free, Agribusiness, Q13,