Abstracts - Facilities and equipment

The objective was to determine if the addition of a bench entry system in a commercial swine facility with a shower lowers the risk of personnel introducing environmental contamination.

Most of the tested organic materials are probably not likely to pose a hygienic risk to pigs and are suitable as enrichment material.

Conductive cooling pads have the potential to cool swine under both high temperature and high humidity conditions.

Under current biosecurity practices, a substantial risk exists for the spread of PRRS virus due to truck sharing.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effect of biofilter media depth and moisture content on removal of gases from a swine barn.

High temperatures around farrowing (25°C) compromise crated sows' welfare, with a potential negative impact on offspring performance.

ATP bioluminescence method can be used as a supplementary tool for monitoring surface cleanliness of transport trailers in a rapid, simple, inexpensive and reliable way.

Enriching the sow environment and diet during gestation therefore improved sow welfare and reduced piglet mortality at and soon after birth.

Results suggest that drinker type can affect water disappearance rates; further research is needed to quantify the amount of water wastage.

The objective was to compare tunnel ventilated finishing barns with cool cell pads (PAD) or without (CONTROL) for barn climate and pig temperature.

This study has identified a simple method of increasing the cleanliness of pigs’ dedicated lying areas, which has important implications for improving the design of pig housing facilities and maximising pig welfare.

The effect of aerating pig slurry during 2 min every 6 h was tested. Aeration increased slurry pH by 0.7 units and NH3 emissions by 20%. CH4 emissions decreased by 40% and no significant N2O emission was detected.

Removal of hydrogen sulphide in a biofilter correlates with the presence of fungi. The biofilter removed more than 60% of hydrogen sulphide in the presence of fungi.

Early social environment can affect the development of aggression in the pig. Group lactation piglets have reduced aggression and skin injuries post-weaning.

A sow cooling pad was developed to remove excess heat production. Three water flow rates were evaluated. Signs of heat stress were substantially reduced with the sow cooling pads.

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the implications of replacing farrowing crates with an alternative housing system from 3 days postpartum until weaning.

Sows can exhibit clear preferences for enrichment type, with the sows interacting with the rope significantly more often throughout the study, at each sampling hour.

Provision of environmental enrichment and herbal compounds may reduce stress in current commercial pig husbandry systems.

The unexpected frequency of viral exchange between commercial and exhibition swine raises questions about the understudied interface between these populations.

The aim of the present study was to investigate how piglets’ use of a creep area is affected by using radiant heat compared to an incandescent light bulb.

According to the results, the optimal density was 1.2 m2/pig considering welfare and building utilization.

The reduction in infectious agents in the air by the EPI technology could potentially decrease the microbial exposure for pigs.

This trial showed the advantage, in an environmental point of view, to use 15% drainage openings on the solid part of partly slatted floors in pens for group-housed gestating sows.

The influence of feed structure and pelleting on the development of gastric ulcers in pigs is well established. Some studies have shown a beneficial effect of access to straw on gastric health. However, the role of other factors, e.g. disease and stress, is not well understood.