These findings indicate that poor survival to weaning, and lower gilt retention rates during development, are critical issues for low birth weight gilts and for gilts born to sows with a low ALBW_P. Therefore, retaining sows in the production genetic…
Building a handling course to document sow locomotion when sows are afflicted with different naturally occurring lameness
Sow lameness is a major production disease affecting welfare and profitability. In 2014, Karriker and colleagues created a comprehensive swine lameness diagnostic manual which incorporated several diagnostic tools and pre- and post-mortem assessments.
Determining the Minimal Floor Space Allowance for Gestating Sows Kept in Pens with Electronic Sow Feeders
Impact of duration of farrowing crate closure on sow welfare and piglet mortality
Determining the Topical and Oral Pharmacokinetics of Flunixin Meglumine in Pre-wean Piglets and Developing Tools for Drug Study in Pre-Wean Piglets
Towards an improved method of piglet castration to reduce pain: the use of one incision in combination with the use of Vapocoolant and Metacam™
Effect of short term high tryptophan diet fed to sows on subsequent piglet behavior
Laws have been passed in several states requiring group housing for pregnant sows. However, the predominant problem with group housing sows is aggression. Different approaches, such as changing group size, space per sow, advanced technologies (such as electronic sow feeding),…
Using conveyor belt to load and unload pigs to promote self-movement of piglets
Pigs are not accustomed to climbing sloped ramps. However, sloped ramps are impossible to avoid in regular management and handling practices due to design of the physical facilities at finishing sites, packing plants, and the vehicles used to transport animals.…
Dynamic space requirements for non-lame and lame sows determined by lying-standing sequence profile
Understanding how sows utilize their dynamic space envelope could assist animal scientists, agricultural engineers and veterinarians when considering the dynamic space needs in gestation housing. The primary goal of this project was to estimate the area utilized by multiparous lame…
Evaluating the welfare of piglets after weaning and transport during heat stress
Weaning is a complex stressor associated with social, environmental and metabolic stress in pigs, that can be compounded by the negative effects of transport and thermal stress. To combat these negative effects, dietary antibiotics may be provided to newly weaned…