scholarly journals Sexual maturity as risk for development of deviant behaviours in pig production systems with entire males

2021 ◽  
pp. 12-12
Author(s):  
Dimitar Nakov ◽  
Metodija Trajchev ◽  
Slavca Hristov ◽  
Branislav Stankovic ◽  
Marko Cincovic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Risk ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Boar Taint ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Sickness Behaviour ◽  
Welfare Implications ◽  
Entire Male

Male piglets are castrated primarily to avoid the unpleasant boar taint in meat, and additionally for the predisposition of castrates to accumulate fat and for their lower risk of developing unwanted behaviours. There are two main strategies available for withdrawing from surgical castration: one is immunocastration and the other is to raise entire male pigs or boars. Additionally, raising intact boars is more profitable because of the production of carcasses with lean meat and better feed conversion. Boars (compared to castrates) exhibit more aggressive, sexual, damaging social behaviour and reduced feeding behaviour with a lower prevalence of sickness behaviour as a result of good health and low susceptibility to chronic inflammation. In this review, the behaviours specific for boars as a result of sexual maturity are reviewed, with an overview of differences in the behaviour of surgically castrated barrows, immunocastrates and boars reared in group-housed systems. The raising of boars allows for good welfare of these animals in early life, but later, on reaching sexual maturity, the welfare of boars can be diminished because of their propensity to aggression and more mounting behaviour than castrates. Innovations in the breeding and management of boars are needed to improve their performance and to reduce welfare implications of these animals raised in social groups, and in particular to minimize deviant behaviours towards pen mates.

scholarly journals Pros and Cons of Alternatives to Piglet Castration: Welfare, Boar Taint, and Other Meat Quality Traits

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonneau ◽  
Weiler
Keyword(s):  
Meat Quality ◽  
Feed Efficiency ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Fat Content ◽  
Boar Taint ◽  
Carcass Quality ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Feed Costs ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Entire Male

This paper reviews the pros and cons of various alternatives to the surgical castration of male piglets without pain relief. Castration is mostly motivated by the presence of boar taint in the meat from some entire male pigs. It results in pain during surgery and markedly increases feed costs and the fat content of the carcass. Raising entire male pigs avoids pain at castration, but animals can suffer from increased stress during the finishing period because of aggressive and mounting behavior. Feed efficiency and carcass quality are much better than in surgical castrates. The quality of meat from entire male pigs is lower because of boar taint, a reduced intramuscular fat content, and increased unsaturation of the fat. Immunocastration prevents boar taint, pain associated with surgery, and stress related to aggressive and mounting behavior. Feed efficiency and carcass quality are intermediate between surgical castrates and entire males. Meat quality is similar to surgical castrates. Anesthesia alone prevents pain during surgery, but not after, while analgesia alone mitigates pain after surgery, but not during it. With the currently available methods, the cost of combined anesthesia and analgesia is too high for conventional production systems in most countries.

scholarly journals Evolution in Configuration and Productivity of New Zealand Hill Country Sheep and Beef Cattle Systems

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 531
Author(s):  
Januarius Gobilik ◽  
Stephen Todd Morris ◽  
Cory Matthew
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Metabolic Energy ◽  
Meat Production ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Feed Conversion Efficiency ◽  
Hill Country ◽  
Cattle Systems

Metabolic energy budgeting (MEB) was used to evaluate evolution over 30 years (1980–1981 to 2010–2011) in New Zealand southern North Island ‘hill country’ sheep and beef cattle systems. MEB calculates energy required by animals for body weight maintenance, weight gain or loss, pregnancy, and lactation to estimate the system feed demand and thereby provide a basis for calculating feed conversion efficiency. Historic production systems were reconstructed and modeled using averaged data from industry surveys and data from owners’ diaries of three case-study farms and reviewed for patterns of change over time. The modeling indicated that pasture productivity was 11% lower and herbage harvested was 14% lower in 2010–2011 than in the early 1980s. This productivity decline is attributable to warmer, drier summer weather in recent years. However, primarily through increased lambing percentage, feed conversion efficiency based on industry data improved over the study period from 25 to 19 kg feed consumed per kg lamb weaned, while meat production rose from 137 to 147 kg per ha per year. Similar improvements were observed for the three case farms. The New Zealand MEB model was found effective for analysis of tropical beef production systems in Sabah, Malaysia.

Insulin secretion, body composition and pig performance are altered by feeding pattern

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald E. Newman ◽  
Jeffery A. Downing ◽  
Peter C. Thomson ◽  
Cherie L. Collins ◽  
David J. Henman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Secretion ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Plasma Insulin ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Growing Pigs ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Entire Male

Three studies investigated the effect of feeding strategy on production performance and endocrine status of growing pigs. For Experiment 1, 20 entire male pigs (70.0 ± 4.6 kg) were allocated randomly to individual pens in one of four climate-controlled rooms. Pigs were fed for 23 days either ad libitum or entrained to feed bi-phasically for two 90-min periods. For Experiment 2, 20 entire male pigs (41.2 ± 3.5 kg) were housed as per Experiment 1. Pigs were fed for 49 days either ad libitum or fed bi-phasically for two 60-min periods. For Experiment 3, 100 female pigs (66.1 ± 3.5 kg) were randomly allocated to individual pens within a commercial piggery and fed for 42 days either ad libitum or bi-phasically for two 60-min periods. Ear vein catheters were inserted into 10 pigs from each group and hourly blood samples were collected for 24 h in Experiments 1 and 2 and for 11 h in Experiment 3. Plasma insulin, non-esterified fatty acid and glucose concentrations were determined in Experiments 1 and 2, and glucose and insulin concentrations in Experiment 3. Feed intake and performance were recorded in all experiments and carcass composition was assessed by computed tomography for Experiment 2. There were no differences in final liveweight between the two treatment groups for all experiments. Pigs fed for two 90-min periods (Experiment 1) showed no difference in feed intake when compared with feeding ad libitum. Pigs in Experiment 2 fed for two 60-min intervals consumed 2.49 kg/pig.day compared with those fed ad libitum that consumed 2.68 kg/day (P = 0.057). In Experiment 3, pigs fed twice daily consumed 2.82 kg/pig.day compared with 2.91 kg/pig.day in ad libitum-fed pigs (P = 0.051). Bi-phasic fed pigs in Experiment 2 had improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion efficiency compared with pigs fed ad libitum. For all experiments, there was no difference in plasma glucose concentrations between the two treatments. In all three experiments, the circulating insulin concentrations for pigs fed ad libitum remained at a constant level throughout the sampling period. However, plasma insulin concentrations for the bi-phasic fed pigs significantly increased ~1 h after both feeding periods during all three experiments. Insulin secretion of pigs fed for two 90-min periods differed from that of pigs fed for two 60-min periods. Plasma insulin concentration increased five-fold following feeding for 60 min, compared with that in pigs fed for 90 min, which increased two-fold. Bi-phasic-fed pigs from Experiment 2 had reduced (P < 0.05) total carcass fat and significantly increased muscle when compared with pigs fed ad libitum. The data showed that feeding pigs at two succinct periods aligned insulin secretion to the time of feeding. Pigs fed for 60 min, unlike those fed for 90-min intervals, had reduced feed intake in comparison to those fed ad libitum. This may suggest that the duration of the feeding bout is important for this response and this may in turn influence both energy balance and the way energy is partitioned.

scholarly journals Occurrence and practical solvent possibility of gilts preinsemination anestrus

2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Stancic ◽  
M. Gagrcin ◽  
M. Jovicin ◽  
S. Jovanovic
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Reproductive Efficiency ◽  
Ovarian Activity ◽  
Genetic Traits ◽  
Paper Review

Gilts reproductive efficiency is one of the primary factors of successful piglets' production. This performance, among other things, is expresses by the number of pregnant gilts, with desirable genetic traits, body weight and age, sexual maturity status, and general good health, provided for the replacement of sows in primary herd. This goal is very difficult to achieve in practical conditions. The main reason is occurrence of prolonged preinsemination anoestrus (oestrus was not detected even after 8 months of age). This paper review the occurrence of prolonged preinsemination anoestrus, based on the results of our and study of other authors. All studies consistently show that, in most of these gilts, pubertal cyclic ovarian activity were established, that silent oestrus occurred in only 4% of the cyclic gilts, and that this problem can be solved by applying appropriate technologies for oestrus detection, and by treatment with adequate hormonal preparations.

PSX-A-27 Late-Breaking: The sulfatase mediated regeneration of androstenone from androstenone sulfate in boar fat

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 376-376
Author(s):  
Christine Bone ◽  
E James Squires
Keyword(s):  
Leydig Cells ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Boar Taint ◽  
Pork Products ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Sulfatase Activity ◽  
Steroid Sulfate ◽  
Student’S T ◽  
Entire Male ◽  
Student’S T Test

Abstract Boar taint is an off-odour or off-flavour that develops in heated pork products from entire male pigs, which is caused by the accumulation of androstenone, a sex pheromone, in the fat. However, we have previously demonstrated that a significant amount of androstenone undergoes sulfoconjugation upon synthesis in the Leydig cells and circulates in the plasma primarily as a polar steroid sulfate. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if androstenone sulfate can be deconjugated within the adipose tissue by the sulfatase enzyme to return free androstenone and indirectly contribute to the development of boar taint. Backfat was obtained from 6-month-old terminal cross [Duroc x (Landrace x Yorkshire)] boars that had high (n=4) or low (n=4) sulfatase expression as determined by RT-PCR. Sulfatase activity in the fat was measured by quantifying the conversion of androstenone sulfate to free androstenone. Backfat was homogenized and the supernatant was incubated with [3H]-androstenone sulfate for 24-hours. Androstenone was extracted from the incubation using ether and steroid conversion was quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Additionally, fat androstenone concentrations were quantified using an established HPLC procedure. Statistical analysis was conducted using a Student’s t-test. There was a significant difference (p=0.04) in the expression of sulfatase between the high (2.99 ± 0.67) and low (1.21 ± 0.19) sulfatase boars and the percentage of androstenone sulfate that was converted to free androstenone was proportional to the expression of sulfatase. Interestingly, the expression of sulfatase was positively related to the concentration of androstenone in the fat in boars with high sulfatase expression; however, this relation was not as strong in animals with low sulfatase expression. These preliminary results suggest that the development of boar taint may occur indirectly through the deconjugation of androstenone sulfate in boars with high expression of sulfatase in the fat.

Reducing the cost of beef production through the genetic improvement of net feed efficiency

1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 45-45
Author(s):  
R.M. Herd ◽  
J.A. Archer ◽  
P.F. Arthur ◽  
E.C. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Feed Efficiency ◽  
Genetic Improvement ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Conversion Ratio ◽  
Feed Conversion Ratio ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Selection For ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Animal Production Systems

Feed is the single largest cost in most animal production systems. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is a commonly used measure of growth efficiency. Previous research has shown that FCR is moderately heritable and highly related to growth rate. While selection for FCR is beneficial to those feeding growing cattle for slaughter, any associated increase in the size of breeding females will mean this benefit will be at a cost to the calf breeder, as larger breeding cows require more feed.

The effects of different factors on the levels of androstenone and skatole in pig fat

1990 ◽  
Vol 1990 ◽  
pp. 21-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
R L S Patterson ◽  
P K Elks ◽  
D B Lowe ◽  
A J Kempster
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Boar Taint ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
National Population ◽  
The Past ◽  
Breed Differences ◽  
Entire Male ◽  
Meat Type

The number of entire male pigs slaughtered in Great Britain has increased steadily over the past 10 years and they now constitute some 45 per cent of the national population. Although there has been concern about possible boar taint, the industry has apparently experienced few problems. However, boar taint continues to be a major concern in other countries, possibly reflecting heavier slaughter weights and breed differences. Limited evidence indicates that earlier maturing breeds, such as the Pietrain and Duroc, tend to have more taint than other breeds of the same weight or age. This has implications for the wider use of specialist meat type sires which now supply atleast 10 per cent of the genes in the commercial British slaughter population.

scholarly journals Tilapia On-Farm Welfare Assessment Protocol for Semi-intensive Production Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Silvia Pedrazzani ◽  
Murilo Henrique Quintiliano ◽  
Franciele Bolfe ◽  
Elaine Cristina de Oliveira Sans ◽  
Carla Forte Maiolino Molento
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Skin Lesions ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Discrimination Power ◽  
Protein Ratio ◽  
Air Exposure ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Intensive Production ◽  
On Farm

The aim of this study was to develop and test a tilapia on-farm welfare assessment protocol, based on Brazilian semi-intensive production systems. The study included two mains steps: the elaboration of tilapia welfare protocol and its on-field feasibility test. The protocol, including the potential indicators organized into health, environmental, nutritional, and behavioral categories, was tested on three farms. Skin, eyes, gills, jaws, fins, and vertebral spine were individually examined in 139 individual tilapias. Water physicochemical parameters and production system were considered. The overall nutritional status of individuals was assessed through body condition factor, feed conversion ratio, feed crude protein ratio, and feed ingestion behavior. During massive capture, signals of stress, level of crowding, and duration of air exposure were registered. Time required for loss of consciousness was evaluated by clinical reflexes and other behaviors during slaughter. Eye, jaw, and gill scores were different across farms (Kruskal-Wallis test, p = 0.011; 0.015; 0.043, respectively), showing good discrimination power. Critical welfare points were extremely low dissolved oxygen in water, fin and skin lesions, prolonged air exposure during pre-slaughter handling and non-humane slaughter techniques, as decapitation or asphyxia. The protocol presents practical viability and it is an initial step for the development of a tilapia welfare strategy, where the prioritization of critical welfare points, implementation of corrective actions and monitoring of the results is part of a permanent welfare management system.

scholarly journals Production of laying hens in different rearing systems under hot weather

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 37677
Author(s):  
Daniel Araujo Netto ◽  
Héder José D'Ávila Lima ◽  
Julia Rodrigues Alves ◽  
Bianca Corrêa de Morais ◽  
Mauricio Silva Rosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Egg Yolk ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
External Quality ◽  
Weight Variation ◽  
Randomized Design

 The environment is very important for the performance of laying hens; thus, techniques are required to improve production systems, providing better welfare for poultry and consequent increase in the quality of the final product, the egg. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of rearing system, on the floor and in cage, on the performance and egg internal and external quality of laying hens. A total of 320 Hysex Brown laying hens, with 34-43 weeks days of age, was distributed in a completely randomized design, with two treatments, floor and cage, with 10 replicates each. The parameters evaluated were: individual feed intake, egg production per replicate, feed conversion per dozen eggs, egg weight; weight and percentage participation of shell, albumen and yolk, specific gravity, body weight variation and viability of birds. The results show that the birds raised on the floor showed best results as to egg production, besides the best internal and external quality, with greater weight of egg, yolk, albumen, shell and with lower losses of eggs. Because of the negative effects of the cage system, in general, hens presented lower results when compared to results of those raised on the floor. 

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