By Dr. Joao H.C. Costa
Why group housing?
Learning from others.
ALERT Line : 1-800-506-2273
By Dr. Joao H.C. Costa
Why group housing?
Learning from others.
By Victoria Kyeiwaa, Prairie Swine Centre
Research on different enrichment materials for pigs has shown that giving appropriate enrichments to growing pigs can result in reduced aggression, reduced fear, improved growth and fewer behavioural vices such as tail-biting. Some commonly used enrichment materials are straw, chains, wood, rope, mushroom compost, wood shavings, garden hose, peat moss and rubber balls.
Although European research has identified straw and other malleable and consumable materials as being optimal, there has been a reluctance to provide such materials in North America.
Dr. Elda Dervishi, University of Alberta
As we face the increasing size of the human population, it is projected that meat consumption will increase as well. At the same time, consumers are more aware and have increased their interest in traits related to animal welfare and health. By far, most pigs are finishers, kept in groups from 10 to, possibly, 400 or more. In these
Dr. Melissa Moggy, Alberta Farm Animal Care
The decision to
K.Schwartzkopf-Genswein, D. Melendez, E. Janzen, E.Pajor and S. Marti
Producers typically castrate their bull calves anywhere between 1 week and 5 months of age and less commonly between 6 to 9 months of age with the exception of bulls destined for breeding. The most common methods used are band castration that restricts blood flow to the testicles and knife castration that involves immediate removal of the testicles by cutting. (more…)