Gaseous emissions from deep-litter pens with straw or sawdust for fattening pigs

in Animal Science (2004), 78(Part 1), 99-107

Three successive batches of fattening pigs were raised on a deep litter of straw in one room and of sawdust in another. The quantities of litter used per pig were 40 kg of straw and 81 kg of sawdust. Once ... [more ▼]

Three successive batches of fattening pigs were raised on a deep litter of straw in one room and of sawdust in another. The quantities of litter used per pig were 40 kg of straw and 81 kg of sawdust. Once a month, the emissions of ammonia, nitrous oxide, methane, carbon dioxide and water vapour were measured continuously for 6 days consecutively. Gaseous emissions from pig raising on sawdust-based litter and straw-based litter were respectively 12.16 and 13.61 g per pig per day for ammonia (NH3), 4.96 and 7.39 g per pig per day for methane (CH4), 2.09 and 0.03 g per pig per day for nitrous oxide (N2O), 3.15 and 2.74 kg per pig per day for water (H2O) and 1.32 and 1.30 kg per pig per day for carbon dioxide (CO2). Differences between the emissions of the two litters were significant for N2O and H2O (P < 0.01). The nitrogen content of the manures collected at the end of the experiment was 1.47 kg per pig for the straw-based litter and 1.07 kg per pig for that based on sawdust. Nitrogen emissions were calculated under the assumption that no gases volatilized from the litter or from the animals other than NH3 and N2O. With the two litters, about 50% of nitrogen excreted by the pigs was emitted into the atmosphere in the form of N-2. [less ▲]

Facteurs influençant la consommation alimentaire et les performances zootechniques du porc sevré: perception et caractéristiques de l'aliment

in Annales de Médecine Vétérinaire (2004), 148(1), 15-29

Weaning is a critical period for piglets. Promoting solid food ingestion in the farrowing pen and early after weaning is essential to optimise piglets' performance, health and welfare. A lot of papers ... [more ▼]

Weaning is a critical period for piglets. Promoting solid food ingestion in the farrowing pen and early after weaning is essential to optimise piglets' performance, health and welfare. A lot of papers report studies about pigs' perception of the feed's organoleptic properties. Pigs are attracted by specific flavors and show taste acuity for the five basic stimuli. The choice of pigs for a diet formulation is mainly based on the protein content of the food and the absence of toxin or anti-nutritional contaminants. They also tend to prefer eating pellets and crumbles rather than meal. Weaned pigs readily accept liquid feed. Wet/dry feeders give the possibility to the pigs to mix water and food at the same place and notably allow them to eat faster when they are fed meal. However, wet feeding may induce greater food wastage. The influence of food visual aspect on feed intake in pigs has been little assessed. Visual and auditory stimuli produced by the feeding behaviour of penmates have although a better-known impact on feed intake in this species. [less ▲]

Behavioural impact of food presentation: How to find an ideal number od weaned pigs per feeding place?

in Kirkwood, J. K.; Roberts, E. A.; Vickery, S. (Eds.) Proceedings of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (2004)

Feeding behaviour of weaned pigs fed either pellets or meal: effects of the number of aniamls per feeding place

in Ferrante, V. (Ed.) Proceedings of the 37th International Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology (2003)

Emissions d’ammoniac, de protoxyde d’azote, de méthane, de gaz carbonique et de vapeur d’eau lors de l’élevage de porcs charcutiers sur litière accumulées de paille et de sciure

in 35èmes Journées de la Recherche Porcine (2003)

Le "bien-être animal": un choix de société.

Article for general public (2002)

Bien-être animal: les apports de l'Ethologie.

in Journée d'étude Bien-être des porcs et des volailles (2002)

Prise en compte du bien-être des animaux dans l’aménagement des porcheries : les aspects réglementaires

in Annales de Médecine Vétérinaire (2002), 146(1), 39-42

A new directive laying down standards for the protection of pigs was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (directive 2001/88/CE ; OJC 1 Decembre 2001). This directive is amending ... [more ▼]

A new directive laying down standards for the protection of pigs was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (directive 2001/88/CE ; OJC 1 Decembre 2001). This directive is amending directive 91/630/CEE entered into force in Belgium in 1994. The three main topics refer to : the characteristics of the flooring surfaces, pregnant sows housing and the feeding systems. This paper details and discusses these topics and other points involving modifications of pig housing and management. [less ▲]

Mother-Young Relationships in Belgian Blue Cattle after a Caesarean Section: Characterisation and Effects of Parity

in Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2001), 72(3), 281-292

The systematic use of Caesarean section in "double muscled" Belgian Blue cattle can induce ethical concerns. The aims of the following study was to characterise mother-young relationships in such a ... [more ▼]

The systematic use of Caesarean section in "double muscled" Belgian Blue cattle can induce ethical concerns. The aims of the following study was to characterise mother-young relationships in such a situation and to assess the effect of parity. Fifteen heifers and 15 cows of the Belgian Blue breed were observed using video recording when isolated with their calf during the 3 days following Caesarean, a rapid surgery with rare occurrence of aggressive behaviour and no sign of cows' discomfort or weakness. All calves were bottle-fed mother's colostrum once before first suckling occurred. Heifers' calves received a supplementary number of three such artificial meals, while cows' calves needed only one. The overall median time to first licking of the calf by the mother was 3.3min without any effect of parity. The mean licking frequency was 29.2+/-15.8 per 24h: heifers licked their calf less frequently than cows, respectively 23.4+/-15.3 per 24h versus 35.1+/-14.5 per 24h (P<0.05). The mean total licking duration was 42.2+/-25.9min per 24h: there was no significant difference between heifers and cows. The overall median time to first suckling was 6.1h, without any effect of parity. The mean suckling frequency was 8.4+/-4.8 per 24h: for half of these suckling bouts, the calf was situated on the left side of the mother, i.e. the side of the scar. The suckling frequency was negatively correlated with the number of artificial meals (r(s)=-0.45,P<0.05). Heifers suckled their calf less often than cows, respectively 6.1+/-3.1 per 24h versus 10.7+/-5.2 per 24h (P<0.01), but the left side proportion was not significantly different. The mean suckling total duration was 35.3+/-21.0min per 24h. The calf was on the left side of the mother during half of this time. Heifers suckled their calf during a shorter time than cows, respectively 26.9+/-20.0min per 24h versus 43.8+/-19.1min per 24h (P<0.05), and the left side proportion was not significantly different. Licking frequency and suckling duration were positively correlated (r=0.43,P<0.05). Only 10% of the mothers (one heifer and two cows) butted their calf and kicking was never observed. Despite the difficult comparison with results of the literature according to various methodologies, mother-young relationships were considered as similar to those reported after natural calving. In our study, cows can be considered as better mothers than heifers. [less ▲]

Water vapour emission and nitrogen balance from a sawdust deep litter system for weaned pigs

in Proceedings of the Xth International Congress for Animal Hygiene (2000)