Abstracts - Facilities and equipment

It appears that nest-building behaviour in prepartum sows could be enhanced by the provision of nesting materials. This, coupled with elevated oxytocin and prolactin concentrations, could result in improved postpartum nursing performance and maternal behaviour in early lactating sows.

Keeping group-housed gestating sows on partly straw bedded floor with permanent access to the concrete feeding stalls compared to fully straw bedded floor did not significantly influence animal performance and NH3-emissions, and decreased CO2eq-emissions.

In conclusion, our study confirms that high temperature reduces feed intake, growth performance, and HP.

The study assess the effects of the month, slaughter house of destination, length of the journey, and temperature–humidity index on mortality of heavy slaughter pigs during transport and lairage.

Farms that use living animals for the exposure to gilts during the acclimatization and farms that had increased number of weaned piglets per sow and year were less likely to test positive for M. hyopneumoniae and less likely to develop clinical symptoms of EP in fattening pigs.

The results obtained at the commercial growing-finishing farms show that in uncontrolled conditions the water disappearance and manure production are significantly influenced by the drinker type.

Biosecurity is a useful measure to promote the reduction of antimicrobial use in the pig industry.

Organic dust extract exposure negatively affects pig macrophage activation and function, potentially enhancing host susceptibility to a variety of respiratory infections.