Relationship between pig carcass tail lesions and lung lesions

Tail biting is common on farms that are more prone to disease. Tail lesions can be associated with poor health either directly by providing a route of entry for pathogens or indirectly as conditions which trigger tail biting may also affect pig health. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between carcass tail lesion and lung lesion severity scores in Irish slaughter pigs. Factory visits occurred over 5 days (Jan – March 2015) and tail lesion score (0 – 4) according to severity, sex, and kill number was recorded for every pig after scalding and dehairing. The lungs from each carcass were scored for lesions using an adapted version of the BPEX pig health scheme. Presence of pleuropneumonia (APP), abscesses and pyaemia was recorded. The severity of enzootic pneumonia (EP-like lesions) was recorded on a scale of 0 – 50 and grouped into none/ mild (score 0 – 10), moderate (score 11 – 20) and severe (score 21 – 50). Severity of pleurisy was scored on a 0 – 2 scale with a separate variable for lungs that were attached to the chest wall (score 2). These lungs could not be assessed for other lung lesions and therefore a separate database was created for assessing the pleurisy lesions (n = 5,628) while the final database contained animals (n = 4,491) with records for tail lesions, EP-like lesion scores and pleurisy (level 0 + 1). Associations between tail lesions and sex and the different lung lesion outcomes were analysed using generalized linear mixed models (PROC GLIMMIX) with random effect for batch. EP-like lesions and pleurisy were the most common lesions, though large variation existed between batches. Pigs with severe tail lesions tended to have more severe pleurisy where the lungs remained attached to the chest wall than pigs with moderate tail lesions. No other associations between tail lesion scores and lung lesions were found. Although tail lesions on the carcass may not be an accurate predictor of lung health, tail lesions are important welfare indicators and respiratory disease is among the most significant infectious conditions affecting pigs. Thus, recording of tail and lung lesions at meat inspection provides valuable information regarding the on-farm health welfare of pigs

Accuracy of genomic selection for reducing susceptibility to pendulous crop in turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Pendulous crop (PC) in the turkey occurs when the crop distends from its normal position, thereby preventing the movement of feed and water from the crop down into the digestive system. This condition negatively impacts the turkey industry at both production and welfare levels. In this study, we estimated the genetic parameters for PC incidence and its genetic correlation with five production traits. Additionally, we evaluated the prediction accuracy and bias of breeding values for the selection candidates using pedigree (BLUP) or pedigree-genomic (ssGBLUP) relationships among the animals. A total of 245,783 turkey records were made available by Hybrid Turkeys, Kitchener, Canada. Of these, 6,545 were affected with PC. In addition, the data included 9,634 records for breast meat yield (BMY); 5,592 records for feed conversion ratio (FCR) and residual feed intake (RFI) in males; 170,844 records for body weight (BW) and walking score (WS) between 18 and 20 weeks of age for males (71,012) and females (99,832), respectively. Among this population, 36,830 were genotyped using a 65K SNP Illumina Inc. chip. While all animals passed the quality control criteria, only 53,455 SNP markers were retained for subsequent analysis. Heritability for PC was estimated at 0.16 ± 0.00 and 0.17 ± 0.00 using BLUP and ssGBLUP, respectively. The incidence of PC was not genetically correlated with WS or FCR. Low unfavourable genetic correlations with BW (0.12 and 0.14), BMY (0.24 and 0.24) and RFI (-0.33 and -0.28) were obtained using BLUP and ssGBLUP, respectively. Using ssGBLUP showed higher prediction accuracy (0.51) for the breeding values for the selection candidates than the pedigree-based model (0.35). Whereas the bias of the prediction was slightly reduced with ssGBLUP (0.33 ± 0.05) than BLUP (0.30 ± 0.08), both models showed a regression coefficient lower than one, indicating inflation in the predictions. The results of this study suggest that PC is a heritable trait and selection for lower PC incidence rates is feasible. Although further investigation is necessary, selection for BW, BMY and RFI may increase PC incidence. Incorporating genomic information would lead to higher accuracy in predicting the genetic merit for selection candidates

Pig carcass tail lesions: the influence of record keeping through an advisory service and the relationship with farm performance parameters

peer-reviewedTail lesions are important pig welfare indicators that could be recorded during meat inspection as they are more visible on the carcass than on the live animal. Tail biting is associated with reduced performance in the bitten pig, but it is not clear whether problems with tail biting are reflected in general farm performance figures. Farm advisory services aim to improve farm productivity which could be associated with improvements in pig welfare. Record keeping forms an integral part of such advisory services. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of record keeping in the Teagasc eProfit Monitor (ePM herds) on the prevalence of tail lesion severity scores in Irish slaughter pigs. In addition, we investigated associations between the prevalence of tail lesion scores and production parameters at farm level in ePM herds. Pigs were observed after scalding/dehairing and tail lesion score (0 to 4), sex and farm identification were recorded. Tail lesion scores were collapsed into none/mild lesions (score ⩽1), moderate lesions (score 2) and severe lesions (score ⩾3). The effect of record keeping (ePM herd) on the different tail lesion outcomes was analysed at batch level using the events/trials structure in generalized linear mixed models (PROC GLIMMIX). Spearman’s rank correlations were calculated between average tail lesion score of a batch and production parameters. A total of 13 133 pigs were assessed from 73 batches coming from 61 farms. In all, 23 farms were identified as ePM herds. The average prevalence of moderate tail lesions was 26.8% and of severe tail lesions was 3.4% in a batch. Batches coming from ePM herds had a lower prevalence of moderate tail lesions than non-ePM herds (P<0.001). Average tail lesion score was negatively associated with age (P<0.05) and weight (P<0.05) at sale/transfer of weaners, and tended to be positively associated with the number of finishing days (P=0.06). In addition, the prevalence of severe tail lesions was negatively associated with average daily gain in weaners (P<0.05) and tended to do so with average daily gain in finishers (P=0.08). This study provides the first indication that record keeping through an advisory service may help to lower the risk of tail biting, which is associated with improved farm performance

Wat wil de geit?

Welzijn van dieren is een belangrijk item in de huidige maatschappij. Om het welzijn van geiten te kunnen waarborgen zal eerst gekeken moeten worden naar de behoeften van geiten. Wat wil de geit

Investigating the potential for genetic selection of dairy calf disease traits using management data.

Genetic selection could be a tool to help improve the health and welfare of calves, however, to date, there is limited research on the genetics of calfhood diseases. This study aimed to understand the current impact of calf diseases, by investigating incidence rates, estimating genetic parameters, and providing industry recommendations to improve calf disease recording practices on farms. Available calf disease data comprised of 69,695 Holstein calf disease records for respiratory problems (RESP) and diarrhea (DIAR), from 62,361 calves collected on 1,617 Canadian dairy herds from 2006 to 2021. Single and multiple trait analysis using both a threshold and linear animal model for each trait were evaluated. Furthermore, each trait was analyzed using 2 scenarios with respect to minimum disease incidence threshold criterion (herd-year incidence of at least 1% and 5%) to highlight the impact of different filtering thresholds on selection potential. Observed scale heritability estimates for RESP and DIAR ranged from 0.02 to 0.07 across analyses, while estimated genetic correlations between the traits ranged from 0.50 to 0.62. Sires were compared based on their estimated breeding value and their diseased daughter incidence rates. On average, calves born to the bottom 10% of sires were 1.8 times more likely to develop RESP and 1.9 times to develop DIAR compared with daughters born to the top 10% of sires. Results from the current study are promising for the inclusion of both DIAR and RESP in Canadian genetic evaluations. However, for effective genetic evaluation we require standardized approaches on data collection and industry outreach to highlight the importance of collecting and uploading this information to herd management software. In particular, it is important that the herd management software is accessible to the national milk recording system to allow for use in national genetic evaluation

Irish pig farmer's perceptions and experiences of tail and ear biting.

peer-reviewedAbnormal behaviours such as ear and tail biting of pigs is of significant welfare and economic concern. Currently, pig welfare legislation is under renewed focus by the EU commission and is likely to be enforced more thoroughly. The legislation prohibits routine tail docking and requires adequate enrichment to be provided. In Ireland, tail-docking is still the most utilised control mechanism to combat tail biting, but biting is still widespread even in tail-docked pigs. In addition, as pig farms are almost all fully slatted, bedding type material cannot be provided. Thus, the opinions, and practices of farmers in countries like Ireland, which may need to make significant adaptations to typical pig management systems soon, need to be considered and addressed. We carried out a survey of pig farmers during 2015 in order to gain a greater understanding of the extent of biting on Irish farms, perception on the most important preventive measures, current enrichment use and actions following outbreaks. Fifty-eight farmers from 21 Counties responded with an average herd size of 710 ± 597 sows (range 90–3000 sows). Only two farms had experienced no biting in the last year. Of the farms that had experienced tail biting (88%), 86% had also experienced ear biting. The most common concerns relating to biting were condemnation and reduced productivity of bitten pigs with both receiving an average score of 4 (most serious). Ear biting occurred most commonly in the 2nd stage (approximately 47–81 days from weaning) weaner and tail biting in the finishing stage. The most important preventive measures were felt to be taking care of animal health, restricting density, maintaining an even quality of feed/content and maintaining good air movement. Sixty-five percent of respondents added additional enrichment following an outbreak. Chains were the most common form of enrichment currently used (83%). Those not using chains favoured wood, toys and rope (17%). Identification of the most effective and accessible control and prevention measures both for the animals and for the farming community is thus essential. Improved understanding of the concerns and practices of producers, which this survey contributes to, is a first step towards this aim

Relationship between pig carcass tail lesions and lung lesions

Tail biting is common on farms that are more prone to disease. Tail lesions can be associated with poor health either directly by providing a route of entry for pathogens or indirectly as conditions which trigger tail biting may also affect pig health. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between carcass tail lesion and lung lesion severity scores in Irish slaughter pigs. Factory visits occurred over 5 days (Jan – March 2015) and tail lesion score (0 – 4) according to severity, sex, and kill number was recorded for every pig after scalding and dehairing. The lungs from each carcass were scored for lesions using an adapted version of the BPEX pig health scheme. Presence of pleuropneumonia (APP), abscesses and pyaemia was recorded. The severity of enzootic pneumonia (EP-like lesions) was recorded on a scale of 0 – 50 and grouped into none/ mild (score 0 – 10), moderate (score 11 – 20) and severe (score 21 – 50). Severity of pleurisy was scored on a 0 – 2 scale with a separate variable for lungs that were attached to the chest wall (score 2). These lungs could not be assessed for other lung lesions and therefore a separate database was created for assessing the pleurisy lesions (n = 5,628) while the final database contained animals (n = 4,491) with records for tail lesions, EP-like lesion scores and pleurisy (level 0 + 1). Associations between tail lesions and sex and the different lung lesion outcomes were analysed using generalized linear mixed models (PROC GLIMMIX) with random effect for batch. EP-like lesions and pleurisy were the most common lesions, though large variation existed between batches. Pigs with severe tail lesions tended to have more severe pleurisy where the lungs remained attached to the chest wall than pigs with moderate tail lesions. No other associations between tail lesion scores and lung lesions were found. Although tail lesions on the carcass may not be an accurate predictor of lung health, tail lesions are important welfare indicators and respiratory disease is among the most significant infectious conditions affecting pigs. Thus, recording of tail and lung lesions at meat inspection provides valuable information regarding the on-farm health welfare of pigs.</p

Development of a Scoring System to Assess Feather Damage in Canadian Laying Hen Flocks

Feather damage (FD) due to feather pecking behavior is an ongoing welfare concern among commercial egg-laying hens. Canada’s current transition from conventional cage housing to alternative housing systems, where FD can spread easily within large flocks, underlines the need for frequent and accurate assessment of plumage condition. A standardized methodology for assessing FD in Canada does not yet exist. To improve FD assessment on commercial farms, a FD scoring system and visual scoring guide for farmers were developed. Two existing plumage scoring systems, LayWel and AssureWel, which differ in level of detail and bird handling, were assessed for ease of use, and intra- and inter-observer reliability. Practical application of the AssureWel scoring system was greatest, with strong intra- and inter-observer reliability for the back region of the body (weighted kappa = 0.88 for both measures) in small-scale flocks. This informed the creation of a modified version of the AssureWel system, which included three scoring levels and the visual assessment of 50 birds per flock. An accompanying guide was developed including sampling instructions and depictions of the scoring scheme, both written and visual. This simplified scoring system can serve as a benchmarking tool for FD prevalence, and can allow for future effectiveness assessments of management strategies to prevent and control FD; however, farmers should be trained to apply this system under commercial conditions