⢠Refer to the AASV PEDv webpage for the latest case updates.
Monthly Archives: August 2013
Effects of Group Size and Floor Space Allowance on Grouped Sows: Aggression, Stress, Skin Injuries and Reproductive Performance
A total of 3,120 sows, in 4 time replicates, were used to determine the effects of group size and floor space on sow welfare using behavioral, physiological, health, and fitness variables. Within 1 to 7 d post-insemination, sows were assigned randomly to treatments of a 3 � 6 factorial arrangement, with 3 group sizes (10, 30, or 80 sows/pen) and 6 floor space allowances (1.4, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.4 or 3.0m2/sow). Sows were housed on partially slatted concrete floors, and overhead feeders delivered 4 times/day to provide a total of 2.5 kg of feed/sow. As pen space increased from 1.4 to 3.0 m2/sow, aggression at feeding decreased from about 9 to 7 bouts/sow (linear, P = 0.029) and plasma cortisol concentrations decreased from about 28 to 21 ng/mL (linear, P = 0.0089) at 2 d. Although the results are in accord with a linear decline from 1.4 to 3 m2/sow, the results are also in accord with a decline in these measurements from 1.4 to 1.8 m2/sow and no further decline greater than 1.8 m2/sow. Farrowing rate (percent of inseminated sows that farrowed) also increased from about 60 to 75% as space increased from 1.4 to 3.0 m2/sow (linear, P = 0.012). Group size was related to skin injuries on d 9 (P = 0.0017), 23 (P = 0.0046), and 51 (P = 0.0006), with groups of 10 consistently having the lowest number of total injuries over this period. Based on the aggression and cortisol results, it is credible to judge that, within the range of floor space allowances studied, sow welfare improves with increased space. However, from a sow welfare perspective, the experiment had insufficient precision to determine what is an adequate space allowance for sows. Thus, although the results definitely support a space allowance of 1.4 m2/sow being too small, it is not possible to give guidance on an actual space allowance at mixing that is adequate.
New “SafeFeed” Web page
The FDAâs Animal Feed Safety System (AFSS) Team has developed an easy to use Web page for information about safe feed. The new page went âliveâ in July, so itâs available and ready for use. The AFSS Team encourages members of the feed manufacturing or animal feeding industry as well as the general public to view the page and to provide feedback, such as ideas to improve the pageâs design as well as suggestions for additional material that could be posted there.
AASV Foundation Hosts Another Record-Setting Event
Sixty-eight golfers on seventeen teams gathered in Ames last week for the fifteenth annual AASV Foundation Golf Outing. Veenker Memorial Golf Course hosted the event on Thursday, August 22. The outing coordinator, Dr. Ron White, made a slight change in the rules from previous years, requiring teams to make use of each team memberâs drive at least four times during the 18-hole round. Merck Animal Healthâs team, composed of Dave Bomgaars, Dave Iverson, Catherine Van Der Weide, and Curtis Bomgaars, rose to the challenge, taking the eventâs top honors with a team score of 60 – five strokes ahead of the second-place team.
2013 Podcast Series: Donald Davidson
During the AASV Annual Meeting, 30 veterinary students interviewed conference speakers to gain additional information about their presentation topic. The concluding MP3 audio interview is now available to members on the AASV website at https://www.aasv.org/members/only/pod/. Student member Jonathan Tangen interviewed Dr. Donald Davidson who presented âReal-world experiences feeding sows in retrofitted gestation barnsâ in the âFeeding Group-Housed Sows and the Growing Herd Efficientlyâ Pre-Conference Seminar.
2013 International PRRS Symposium
Registration and Abstract Submission are now open. Please plan to join us at the Intercontinental Hotel â Chicago Magnificent Mile, December 7-8, 2013.
PRRS Corner: PRRS Season is Coming – Are Your Producers Ready?
Based on data from the National PRRSv Incidence Project, we have documented the repeatability of the seasonal PRRSv epidemic. In this study we record the number of new PRRSv cases in a cohort of 370 sow herds across 14 unique production systems. For the past four years, the number of new cases on a weekly basis is expected to dramatically rise in mid-October (refer to this graph). With this in mind, the time to have conversations with your producers about preparing for the coming PRRSv epidemic season is now.
Passion for Pigs in Sioux Center on September 10
The 2013 Passion for Pigs Seminar and Tradeshow will be held September 10 at the Terrace View Event Center in Sioux Center, IA. Guest speakers include Dr. Mike Brumm and Dennis DiPietre along with motivational speaker Kent Stock. The complete program and registration form are online at www.passionforpigs.com. Please RSVP by September 5. For additional information or to RSVP, contact Julie Lolli at 660-651-0570 or by email (julie.nevets@nevetsrv.com).
Please Share…Your Practice Tip!
Do you have a Practice Tip to share with your peers and possibly win some cash? Join the ranks of past winners by presenting your practice tip that could impact the industry! Three lucky participants will walk away with the prestigious honor of being recognized as changing the way we practice. The Saturday afternoon (March 1) session at the AASV Annual Meeting in Dallas is in need of practitioners to present their useful everyday knowledge. Please contact Jay Miller at miller@timbercrestvet.com to volunteer your tip. Need a little inspiration? Click here to check out the tips presented in San Diego (member login required).
Position Announcement: Faculty Position in Diagnostic Pathology
The Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine invites applications for a full-time clinical-track or full-time tenure-track faculty position in diagnostic pathology in the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU VDL). Applications for clinical-track will be accepted at the levels of clinician or senior clinician. Applications for tenure-track positions will be accepted at the levels of assistant, associate, or full professor.