Abstracts - Management

Group housing gestating sows 2 days after breeding compromised litter size; however, mixing gilts on days 1 to 4 after breeding did not impair reproductive performance.

Results show the importance of differentiating between low viable and viable crushed piglets for the interpretation of risk factors for crushing losses.

The metal hut appears to be the best compromise considering thermal environment, behavior, and litter survival.

Castrated piglets treated with transdermal flunixin demonstrated lower total pain scores and required less analgesic intervention immediately post-castration compared to castrated piglets receiving no treatment.

A similar M. hyopneumoniae detection pattern was observed regardless of gilt flow.

The live-born piglets of sows that were more active the day before farrowing, standing and in other activity than drinking and eating, had higher survival rates.

Lift crate sows evidenced an increase in hair cortisol values along with the benefit of the higher survival rate of piglets before weaning.

Floor feeding large pellet creep feed starting 4 days preweaning improved nursery pig growth performance and fallout rates.

Neonatal care treatment may be useful to reduce mortality in low birth weight piglets and could affect carcass fatness and meat quality.

This study observed impacts of both proximity to weaning and transport duration on piglet welfare indicators.

Drier conditions substantially increased the use of bait sites by wild pigs.

Results suggest that orbital tightening and ear position may be reliable facial action units for the piglet grimace scale.

The study shows it is feasible to use a system to quantify the water use and wastage patterns of pigs in farm buildings.

Little evidence was found that most scents attracted wild pigs.

For short-term fixation of five days around farrowing on commercial farms, the farrowing crate should be opened in the evening.

Illuminance could be used to divide the pens into functional areas and, thus, help in meeting pigs’ behavioural needs.

These results suggest no benefit in piglet performance from increasing the width of farrowing pens.

Results indicate that the early postnatal stress associated with cross-fostering affects cross-fostered piglets in a sex-specific manner.

These results suggest electric-heated mats and heat lamps were comparable in maintaining the performance and postural behaviors of piglets.

If small groups of sows are allowed to freely interact with each other prior to mixing into a larger dynamic group they can transition into the new social group with reduced rates of harmful aggressive behaviors.

Shorter nursing duration and more nursing terminations by the sow were observed in loose housing than in farrowing crates.

Mixing and reducing SID Lys:NE ratio had a more marked impact on performance than reducing space allowance.

Farmers could achieve and maintain the Raised Without Antibiotics status through farm-specific coaching related to prudent antimicrobial usage and improved biosecurity.

While tail biting is multifactorial, an imbalance in the microbiota-gut-brain axis, modulated via the diet, should be considered as a pathway for the development of tail biting.