Implementation of Straw Racks in Commercial Pig Housing-Impact on Straw Availability and Pig Behaviour

This study investigated if straw racks, which enable larger straw rations, induced a more straw-directed behaviour in pigs, as a mean to facilitate the provision of manipulable material and natural behaviour. It was conducted on a commercial farm (459 pigs, 42 pens, 30-120 kg) where half of the pens received 25 L of straw on the floor (CONTROL) and the other half of the pens received straw in a rack holding 44 L of straw (RACK). The pig behaviour in five randomly assigned pens per treatment were recorded for 24 h, during three periods of production. Pig activity levels, exploratory behaviour, pen utilization and available clean straw were scan sampled. During period 1, no pigs were observed interacting with the straw racks. During this period, CONTROL pigs conducted more straw-directed behaviour and less pen-directed behaviour compared to pigs in the pens with a rack during period 1. The lack of rack interactions may imply an underdeveloped spatial cognition in the pigs. Apart from period 1, there were no significant difference in behaviour between RACK and CONTROL pigs. The racks did not disturb the use of the pen. The absent treatment effect in periods 2 and 3 may reflect that there was a too small difference in straw ration between the treatments. In order to design and implement straw racks that promote straw interaction, future studies should focus on understanding pigs' spatial cognition

Genetisk variation i spermakvalitet, och dess koppling till galtars fruktsamhet

Det finns många faktorer som påverkar galtens ejakulatkvalitet, t.ex. genetisk bakgrund och miljöfaktorer. Om det finns ett samband mellan ejakulatets kvalitet och galtens verkliga fruktsamhet kan man lätt skilja på bra och dåliga galtar, och därmed sålla bort galtar med dålig fruktsamhet. I Sverige kontrolleras idag alla ejakulat som skall gå till artificiell insemination för fem klassiska spermieegenskaper (volym, koncentration, motilitet, andelen onormala spermier och totala antalet spermier), för att få en uppfattning om ejakulatets kvalitet. Dock har det inte kunnat påvisas att dessa egenskaper har någon klar koppling till galtens verkliga fruktsamhet, även om de kan ge indikationer om den. Däremot har man kunnat koppla fertiliteten till spermiernas morfologi och dess s.k. kromatin-integritet. Dock kan de klassiska spermieegenskaperna ge en indikation på galtens och ejakulatets fruktsamhe vilket kan utnyttjas både bland bruksgaltarna och i avelsurvalet för spermakvalitet. Alla de klassiska spermieegenskaperna har arvbarheter som är tillräckligt höga för avelsurval och kan därför sättas in i avelsmålet, som ett mått på galtens fruktsamhet. Det skulle kunna säkerställa en god spermaproduktion i nästkommande generationer hos framförallt faderraserna, eftersom de idag främst selekteras på tillväxthastighet, foderomvandlingsförmåga och köttighet vilka har visat sig ha en negativ genetisk koppling till spermakvaliteten i ejakulatet.There are many factors affecting the quality of the ejaculate, both genetic and environmental. If there were linkages between the quality of the ejaculate and the boar’s actual fertility, one could easily separate good and bad boars. That could make the pig breeding more efficient. Today, all ejaculates for artificial insemination in Sweden are screened for five classical sperm traits (volume, concentration, motility, percentage of abnormal sperm and the total amount of spermatozoa), to get an opinion of the quality of the ejaculate. However, no relations have been detected amongst the classical sperm traits and the ejaculates true fertility rate, even though they can give an indication of the fertility of the ejaculate. On the other hand, the fertility (if the sow gets pregnant or not) of the ejaculate has been linked to the sperm morphology and the integrity of the chromatin in the spermatozoa. However, the classical sperm traits can give an indication of the fertility rate in the ejaculate, and thereby be used in breeding for sperm quality. All of the classical sperm traits have estimates of heritabilities that make them suitable for selection, and can therefore be included in the breeding program, as a measurement of the boar fertility. That could secure a good sperm production in generations to come, especially in the sire-line breeds, since they are, today, mainly selected for growth rate, food conversion rate and proportion of meat, which has been found to be genetically negative correlated to the quality of the spermatozoa in the ejaculate

Variation i smågrisdödlighet mellan och inom satellitbesättningar i en suggring

The piglet mortality rates have become a major issue in today’s pig production. While other production traits such as number of born piglets or produced piglets per sow have been improved, the mortality rate has escalated. High mortality rates before weaning does not only affect the economy but must also be looked at as both an animal welfare problem and an ethical issue. The background to this problem has been addressed many times, and its salvation has also been addressed by breeding. Breeding for increased piglet survival has been successful, but is time consuming and could not be seen as a quick fix. Through analyzes of production results, interviewing staff about management routines and herd visits has this study investigated the variation of piglet mortality within satellite herds of a sow pool, which share the same animal material but may differ in other aspects. The study focused on mortality from farrowing to weaning at approximately five weeks. It was found that there were great variation both between and within herds, even though the genetic material was the same, which indicate that the mortality rates were affected by management and housing. Furthermore, the mortality results within herds did also fluctuate heavily between batches, and could vary from 4-32%. Lower piglet mortality rates could be linked to certain management routines as many light hours during the lactation period and keeping the feed ratio of sows unchanged for the time around expected farrowing. Also, routines for identifying sow refusing to eat and the detection of the end of a farrowing was proved to be important for low mortality rates within the herd. The mortality rates were also dependent on season, party number and number of liveborn piglets in the litter.Smågrisdödligheten har blivit en viktig fråga i dagens grisproduktion. Medan andra produktionsegenskaper, som antalet födda smågrisar eller producerade smågrisar per sugga, har förbättrats, har smågrisdödligheten eskalerat. Hög dödlighet före avvänjning påverkar inte bara ekonomin utan måste även ses som ett välfärdsproblem såväl som ett etiskt dilemma. Bakgrunden till den stigande smågrisdödligheten har undersökts många gånger, och har också angripits genom förändrad avel. Avel för ökad smågrisöverlevnad har varit framgångsrik, men är tidskrävande och kan inte ses som enda lösning. Genom analys av produktionsresultat, intervjuer av personal och stallbesök undersöktes i denna studie smågrisdödligheten satellitbesättningar inom samma suggpool, där man delar samma djurmaterial men andra yttre omständigheter kan skiljas åt. Studien har fokuserat på dödligheten under perioden från grisning till avvänjningen vid cirka fem veckors ålder. Det konstaterades att det fanns stora variationer i dödlighet både mellan och inom besättningar, även om det genetiska materialet var samma. Det tyder på att dödligheten påverkas av inhysning och skötsel. Smågrisdödligheten fluktuerade även kraftigt, mellan 4 till 32 %, mellan batcher, vilket ytterligare visar på att dödligheten påverkas av andra faktorer än genetiken. Lägre smågrisdödlighet kunde kopplas till vissa skötselrutiner så som fler ljustimmar under digivningsperioden och hålla suggans fodergiva oförändrad dagarna kring hennes förväntade grisning. Dessutom visade sig rutiner för att identifiera suggor som vägrar att äta, och identifiering av avslutade grisningar vara viktiga för låg smågrisdödlighet. Smågrisdödligheten visade sig också vara beroende av säsong, kullnummer samt antal levande födda smågrisar i kullen

Impact of amount of straw on pig and pen hygiene in partly slatted flooring systems

Background: Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare through reducing tail biting. Straw has previously been identified as one of the means of how to raise pigs without tail docking, through improving natural exploratory behaviour. Straw has however been linked to poor pen hygiene, making farmers reluctant to use straw and has largely not been implemented in commercial farming worldwide. Straw is a beneficial enrichment material for pigs, shown to improve welfare and reduce abnormal behaviour such as tail biting. Results: This study investigates the impact of straw on pig and pen hygiene in pens with partly slatted floor in three grower and four finishing pig batches on five commercial farms (2329 pigs, 211 pens) in Sweden which were providing straw daily. Each batch was divided into two treatments; Control: 50-600g straw/pen/day based on the farm normal straw ration; and Extra straw; (=doubled Control ration). The pens were scored based on cleanliness of the pigs, solid and slatted pen floor every second week. The pig and pen hygiene were mostly scored as clean in both treatments, overall around 1% of the observations were considered dirty/soiled. Conclusions: As very few pens or pigs were considered dirty, it was concluded that straw provision is possible without risking poor pig and pen hygiene. Few observations in this study were considered dirty regardless of amount of straw that was provided, and had likely to do with other factors in the production rather than straw ration. These results implies that straw could be used in partly slatted pens in order to improve pig environment but more research is needed to quantify the impact of other external factors related to climate (e.g. temperature, humidity, velocity)

Management practices related to the control of gastrointestinal parasites on Swedish pig farms

Background Internal parasites are common in pigs worldwide and may induce clinical disease or subclinical infections with negative effects such as poor weight gain and reduced welfare, which in turn affect productivity. Effective parasite control to reduce the negative impact of parasitic infections demands a combination of antiparasitic drugs as well as various hygiene and biosecurity practices. The aim of this study was to obtain information on current management practices and parasite control routines used on Swedish pig farms using an online questionnaire. Results Antiparasitic drugs were used on 69% of the farms routinely and were mainly administered to sows just prior to farrowing. Less than 5% of the herds conducted faecal analysis for parasites. Batchwise, age segregated rearing was common and overall, it was practiced for piglets, growers, and fatteners on 88, 80 and 75% of the farms, respectively. Large and medium sized farms appeared to apply stricter hygiene and biosecurity measures to the growing pigs compared to small farms. Dry sows were mainly housed in groups on deep litter straw beds and cleaning, as well as disinfection, between each group was less common compared to what was practiced for growing pigs. Outdoor access was rare and only occurred on organic and small farms. Most of the farms, 54, 74 and 82% of small, medium, and large sized herds respectively, reported to have less than 5% white spot lesions, caused by migrating A. suum larvae, registered at slaughter. Conclusion Several risk factors for parasite infections, such as bedding material, group housing and solid floors, are mandatory requirements by national law. However, it was evident from this study that although strategic hygiene and biosecurity practices appeared common, they were not practiced in all herds and less so for dry sows. Antiparasitic drugs were used frequently and mainly through routine prophylactic treatments without prior testing for parasites. A holistic approach is necessary when designing efficient parasite control programs, and it is essential that management factors and routine monitoring of parasites are given attention. This to achieve efficient parasite control and reduce the risk of unnecessary use of antiparasitic drugs

A Systematic Mapping of Research on Sustainability Dimensions at Farm-level in Pig Production

We systematically mapped the scientific literature on the sustainability of pig production at farm-level. Sustainability was considered holistically, covering its economic, environmental, and social dimensions, each consisting of a broad range of different aspects that may contradict or reinforce each other. Literature published between January 2000 and March 2020 with a geographical focus on Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand was included. A standard template with predefined keywords was used to summarise aspects of each sustainability dimension covered in identified papers. We found that papers analysing environmental sustainability were more frequent than papers analysing economic or social sustainability. However, there are many different aspects within each dimension of sustainability, hampering comparisons between studies. In addition, each dimension of sustainability has many sides, making it difficult to compare different studies, and different dimensions and aspects may have complex interrelations. Our systematic literature review revealed that these interrelations are not well understood and that possible trade-offs or synergies between different aspects of sustainability dimensions remain unidentified. This systematic mapping of the current literature on farm-level sustainability in pig production can support a more informed discussion on knowledge gaps and help prioritise future research at farm-level to enhance sustainability in pig production

Djurvälfärd i ekologisk produktion – vad vet vi i dag?

Ekologisk produktion bygger på en ekocentrisk grundsyn där man värderar naturlighet högt. Detta ledertill ökat fokus på att skapa produktionssystem där djuren kan få utlopp för sina naturliga beteenden. Tillexempel ska djuren ha större ytor att röra sig på, tillgång till bete och utevistelse och ha tillgång till grovfoder.Men det innebär vissa utmaningar. Till exempel leder utevistelse till att djuren i högre grad utsättsför parasiter och vissa moderna raser kan få benproblem när de rör sig mycket i ekologiska system. Dessaoch andra utmaningar behöver den ekologiska branschen adressera, och forskningen fortsätta att belysa,för att ytterligare förbättra djurhälsa och djurvälfärd i den ekologiska djurproduktionen.Den här rapporten sammanfattar den senaste forskningen kring djurvälfärd inom ekologisk djurproduktion.Den behandlar ekologisk mjölk- och nötproduktion, ekologisk får- och lammproduktion, ekologiskgrisproduktion samt ekologisk ägg- och slaktkycklingsproduktion. Sammanfattningsvis diskuterar denvilka målkonflikter som kan uppstå inom ekologisk djurproduktion. Ambitionen är att ge främst forskareoch rådgivare en uppdaterad inblick i hur forskningsbehovet och kunskapsläget ser ut inom området menäven att öka insikten hos beslutsfattare om vilka målkonflikter som finns inom ekologisk djurproduktionoch varför de uppstår.SLU Ekologisk produktion och konsumtion, Epok, har finansierat arbetet med rapporten. Huvudförfattareär Torun Wallgren, SLU, Niels Andresen, HIR Skåne AB och Magdalena Åkerfeldt, SLU. Rapportenbygger på en kunskapssammanställning som påbörjades 2019 av Magdalena. I januari 2020 hölls ett seminariumpå KSLA med titel ”Hur mår djuren i ekologisk produktion?” som gav en del inspel till fortsattarbete med sammanställningen. En vetenskaplig artikel med titel ”Health and welfare in organic livestockproduction systems – a systematic mapping of current knowledge” publicerades senare 2020 i OrganicAgriculture med Magdalena som huvudförfattare. Denna rapport som Torun och Niels färdigställt är enpopulärvetenskaplig skrift baserad på denna artikel.Uppsala april 2022Johanna Spångberg, föreståndare Epo

Effect of Straw Provision in Racks on Tail Lesions, Straw Availability, and Pen Hygiene in Finishing Pigs

Simple SummaryPigs spend the majority of their time exploring their surroundings. Unfulfilled exploratory behavior has been linked to tail biting in pigs, leading to decreased welfare and production. Straw provision enables exploratory behavior and reduces tail biting, but large amounts of straw may be difficult to incorporate into current production systems, causing e.g., poor hygiene. This study examined whether provision of straw in racks, rather than on the floor, can enable larger straw rations without compromising hygiene. The study was conducted on a commercial farm with 458 undocked pigs in 42 pens provided with straw in racks or on the floor. Available straw and manual cleaning requirement were assessed daily, and presence of tail lesions was assessed weekly. Compared with pigs in the floor treatment, pigs in the rack treatment had more lesions in the beginning of the production period, but fewer tail lesions at the end. This could be because pigs in the rack treatment initially did not consume straw from the rack, leading to low straw access early in the production period.Unfulfilled exploratory behavior in pigs has been linked to tail biting, which causes reduced performance and welfare. Provision of straw can reduce tail biting, but large straw rations can cause poor hygiene in pens. This study examined whether provision of straw in racks, rather than on the pen floor, can enable larger straw rations without compromising hygiene. The study was conducted on a commercial farm with 458 undocked pigs in 42 pens provided with straw in racks or on the floor. Available straw and manual cleaning requirement were assessed daily, and presence of tail lesions was assessed weekly. Both treatments had a low requirement for manual cleaning (Floor: 1.7%, Rack: 1.8%). Pigs in the rack treatment had a higher incidence of lesions early in the production period, which coincided with these pigs initially not consuming straw from the rack, leading to low straw access. Late in the production period, these pigs had learned how to use the rack and had a lower incidence of lesions than pigs in the floor treatment. Delayed use of the rack may have been linked to undeveloped spatial skills in the pigs, which needs further research