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The effect of climatic environment and relocating and mixing on health status and productivity of pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

M. J. C. Hessing  and
M. J. M. Tielen
M. J. C. Hessing
Affiliation:
Department for Animal Husbandry, Agricultural University Wageningen, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
M. J. M. Tielen
Affiliation:
Animal Health Service in the Southern Netherlands, Molenwijkseweg 48, 5282 SC Boxtel, The Netherlands
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Abstract

Two similar style experiments were carried out in a climate-controlled pig house to determine the effects of adverse climatic conditions and relocating and mixing on the health status and productivity of pigs. In both experiments, 120 pigs were used. The climate-controlled pig house consisted of two fully separated but identical rooms (experimental and control) with five pens each (12 pigs per pen). Pigs exposed to draught and low environmental temperature had lower daily gain (experiment 1: 45 g/day; experiment 2: 25 g/day) and higher food conversion (food: gain ratio) than pigs housed under optimal climatic conditions (control). Moreover, clinical disease signs (i.e. diarrhoea, coughing, sneezing and haemorrhagic ear lesions) were more pronounced in the experimental than in the control group. In experiment 1, pigs were relocated and mixed at 10 weeks of age either within or between the experimental and control room. Data showed clear negative effects on daily gain and clinical disease signs especially among pigs that were relocated to suboptimal climatic conditions. In experiment 2, pigs were either relocated and mixed between both rooms or they remained in their own pens. Data on daily gain and clinical disease signs revealed that the health of the pigs was strongly affected by mixing. Therefore, the present work emphasizes the importance of climatic environment and social factors in intensive pig production.

Keywords

climatic factorsdisease prevelancegroup housingpigsproductivity
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 59 , Issue 1 , August 1994 , pp. 131 - 139
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1994

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