Sawdust is Suitable Bedding Material for Farrowing Sows
Sawdust is a suitable nesting material for farrowing sows when straw is not available, according to new research published from Prague University.

Stomach Lesions Slightly Reduced by Feeding Cracked Corn
Feeding finishing pigs with cracked maize at a level of up to 40 per cent had no effect of growth rate but worsened feed conversion and dressing percentage without significantly reducing stomach lesions, according to research presented at last...

Trailer Design Affects Market Pig Welfare
Trailer design may be one of several factors that influence the level of stress for pigs being transported, according to Tom Guthrie, Extension Educator for the Pork Team at Jackson in his review of trials on this topic in the latest Pork Quarterly...

Dioxin Caused a Rocky Road for Pig Prices
When dioxin was found in poultry feed in Germany at the beginning of the year, the repercussions were felt across the whole of Europe and not just in the poultry sector, writes ThePigSite editor in chief, Chris Harris.

Analgesics in Farrowing and Castration
Preliminary data indicate no economic benefit from providing analgesia to sows at farrowing or to piglets at castration, writes Ed Barrie, Sow Weaner Pig Specialist at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), reviewing research...

Environment Enrichment for Pigs
A report was published jointly by BPEX and the UK's University of Bristol in December 2010 on the need for objects or substrates to help prevent tail biting and the best options for providing environmental enrichment. Jackie Linden, editor of ThePigSite,...

Effects of Environmental Enrichment and Loose Housing of Lactating Sows on Piglet Performance
Enrichment of the pre- and post-weaning environment improves performance and health of newly weaned pigs, according to researchers in the Netherlands.

Splayleg in Piglets
Pig veterinarian, Mark White, describes the causes, prevention and treatment of the various types of splay-leg in a Health Bulletin from NADIS.

Vulva Biting
Pig veterinarian, Mark White, describes the causes, prevention and treatment in a Health Bulletin from NADIS.

Physical Lameness in Breeding Stock
In a Health Bulletin from NADIS, pig veterinarian, Mark White, describes the causes, clinical signs, prevention and treatment of joint conditions in sows and boars.

Kansas Swine Day 2010
Proceedings of the Kansas Swine Day 2010 conference, which focused on the nutrition and nursery pigs and finishers as well as feed management.

Prairie Swine Centre Annual Report 2009
The annual report from the Prairie Swine Research Centre in Canada.

Guidelines for Group-Housing Pregnant Sows
The advantages and disadvantages of the different feed ing options for group-housed sows are outlined by Dr Trish Holyoake, Technical Specialist Pig Health, Wagga Wagga in a publication from the NSW government. She also offers tips on getting each system...

Group Sow Housing Focus Groups – Initial Results
Initial results of a project to uncover what pork producers need to be able to comply with this new law requiring sows to be kept in group housing during most of their pregnancy. The article appears in the latest MSU Pork Quarterly and is written...

Animal Welfare and the Veterinary Profession: 50 Years of Change
In his paper to this year's International Pig Veterinarian's Society (IPVS) Congress in Vancouver, Canada, Dr David Fraser of the University of British Columbia described the changing reality and perceptions of animal welfare, writes Jackie Linden, editor...

Effects of Transport Conditions and Vehicle Design on the Welfare and Meat Quality of Pigs in Canada
When transporting hogs to market, pigs in the bottom front compartment had the highest heart rate measures at unloading, and also produced the highest incidence of DFD pork, according to J. Brown, T. Crowe, S. Torrey, R. Bergeron, T. Widowski, J. Correa,...

Free Space Utilisation by Sows in Free Access Stalls
Sows housed in the pens arranged in a T-shape used the free-space area significantly more than the sows housed in pens arranged in an I-shape, according to F.C. Lang, S.M. Hayne, V. Heron and H.W. Gonyou in the Prairie Swine Centre Annual Report 2009....

Group Size and Alley Width Affect the Movement of Market Pigs
When handling near-market weight hogs, group sizes of four or eight pigs are preferable for minimising stress based on handling and behavioural measures, according to L. Kavanagh, S. Goumon and H.W. Gonyou in the Prairie Swine Centre Annual Report 2009....

EU Study Does Not Recommend End to Castration in the Short Term
A report for the European Commission's DG SANCO concludes that there should be no ban on pig castration in the EU in the short-term but that a combination of different strategies is required to find a solution to balance aspects of animal welfare with...

Tryptophan-Enriched Diet Reduces Pig Aggression
Supplementing the diet of young gilts with amino acid, tryptophan, made them less aggressive and easier to manage, according to new research from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

London Swine Conference 2010
The London Swine Conference 2010 was held in London, Ontario, Canada on 31 March and 1 April 2010. The theme of the meeting was 'Focus on the Future'.

Light Levels in the Farrowing House
We know that temperature requirements for piglets and sows are quite different in the farrowing house but what about the different light requirements of stockpeople and sows? The new Knowledge Transfer bulletin from BPEX provides the answers.

Stress: It Affects Pigs and Poultry Too
Researchers in the ARS Livestock Behavior Research Unit in West Lafayette, Indiana, talk about their studies on stress in poultry and pigs to Sharon Durham in the latest issue of Agricultural Research.