Behaviour and performance of lactating sows housed in different types of farrowing rooms during summer

AbstractThirty mixed-parity Landrace×Large White sows were used to evaluate the effects of the type of farrowing room on 28-day lactation behaviour under tropical conditions during summer. The sows were allocated in a completely randomised design with three treatments with 10 replicates according to parity number and body weight, with each animal being considered an experimental unit. The treatments consisted of a conventional farrowing room (T1); a conventional farrowing room with floor cooling under the sow (T2); and a semi-outdoor farrowing room without a cage and with access to a fenced field (T3). The sows from T1 and T2 groups were exposed to mean maximum and minimum environmental temperatures of 25.7 and 21.0°C, respectively, and the sows from the T3 group to average maximum and minimum environmental temperatures of 26.5 and 20.7°C, respectively. The feed consumption of T3 sows was numerically higher than the T1 and T2 sows (+9.5% on average). The body-weight loss was influenced at 28days (P<0.10) by treatment, being that the T3 sows gained weight (+4.7kg) while the T1 and T2 sows lost weight (−11.9 and −3.7kg, respectively for T1 and T2). The T3 sows showed a higher percentual litter mortality than the T1 and T2 sows (3.2% vs. 0% vs. 7.8%, respectively for T1, T2 and T3 sows). From farrowing until day 28 of lactation, the T2 and T3 sows showed higher lactation efficiency when compared with the T1 sows (72% vs. 87% vs. 88%, respectively for T1, T2 and T3 sows). The T1 sows showed higher (P<0.01) frequencies of visits to the feeder and drinker (+38% on average). The T3 sows spent more time (P<0.01) at the drinker than T1 and T2 sows (23 vs. 23 vs. 32min, respectively for T1, T2 and T3 sows). The T3 sows showed a higher (P<0.10) frequency of nursing than the other treatments (+15% on average). T1 and T2 sows were found to spend more time (P<0.01) performing other postures during 24h than sows maintained in T3 (50 vs. 51 vs. 22min/d, respectively for T1, T2 and T3). It is concluded that cooling of the floor under the sow in the conventional farrowing room or the use of semi-outdoor farrowing rooms improves the thermal environment and the lactation efficiency of the sows housed in hot ambient temperatures at 28-day lactation in the summer period, indicating an improved welfare

A Contingent Valuation Study Of Buriti (mauritia Flexuosa L.f.) In The Main Region Of Production In Brazil: Is Environmental Conservation A Collective Responsibility?

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)The immature leaves of the buriti palm (Mauritia flexuosa) are widely harvested in the municipality of Barreirinhas, Maranhão, for the production of handicrafts, which are sold to locals and tourists. The increasing demand for these artisanal goods is stimulating the emergence of an informal market for immature buriti leaves, leading to an intensification of their extraction and resulting in negative effects on local buriti palm populations and the ecosystem. Thus, the objective of the present study was to assess the environmental value of the buriti palm tree based on the maximum willingness to pay (WTP) for its conservation, using the contingent valuation method. Among the respondents, 99.74% reported that the palm species should be protected and the majority of them (65.75%) agreed to pay for its conservation (annual WTP R$ 179.49 ± 222.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that the WTP was not influenced by the socio-economic profile of the respondents. The main reasons for non-WTP are related to dissatisfaction with the government and the belief that financial contributions would not solve problems of environmental damage. Overall, the evaluated population believes that environmental conservation is not an obligation of the government or that of the population, but is a collective responsibility. © 2016, Sociedade Botanica do Brasil. All rights reserved.304532539CAPES, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorMOE, Ministry of EducationCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES