The behaviour, welfare, growth performance and meat quality of pigs housed in a deep-litter, large group housing system compared to a conventional confinement system

2007 ◽  
Vol 103 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 12-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca S. Morrison ◽  
Lee J. Johnston ◽  
Adrienne M. Hilbrands
2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 625-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Pinheiro ◽  
D. Outor-Monteiro ◽  
S. Silva ◽  
J. Silva ◽  
J. L. Mourão

Abstract. The study was carried out to investigate the effects of two housing systems on the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of growing rabbits during the terminal fattening period. The rabbits were lodged in conventional cages between 35 and 59 days of age (growing period). At this age, they were moved into two different housing systems until they were 87 days of age (fattening period). During the fattening period, 48 rabbits were housed in 12 wire cages (0.5×0.6×0.35 m) and 48 rabbits were housed in one open-air pasture pen (20×9 m). At 87 days, 12 rabbits per treatment were slaughtered and the carcass characteristics and meat quality were evaluated. During the fattening period, the rabbits reared in cages had significantly higher live weights (3 062 vs. 2 705 g), weight gains (45.9 vs. 34.2 g·d−1) and feed intakes (163.4 vs. 110.2 g·d−1) than those reared in pens. The rabbits in the open-air group had a lower percentage of dissectible fat (1.35 vs. 4.19 %), a higher proportion of hind part (34.9 vs. 33.1 %), and less hind leg muscle (79.3 vs. 81.9 %) than caged rabbits. The m. biceps femoris of the rabbits in the open-air group had a higher cooking loss (3.64 vs. 3.02 %), Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (4.26 vs. 3.29 kg·cm−2), and myoglobin concentration (0.41 vs. 0.32 mg·g−1) than caged rabbits. The housing system had no effect on the dressing out percentage, viscera proportion, and ultimate pH. Open-air housing system reduces the growth of rabbits and the fat content of carcasses and increases the redness colour of meat.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-47
Author(s):  
Nur Shahirah SHAHİDAN ◽  
Teck LOH ◽  
Mohamed ALSHELMANİ ◽  
Chong HAU ◽  
Fu LEE ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 288
Author(s):  
Qing-Chang Ren ◽  
Jing-Jing Xuan ◽  
Chuan-Yan Che ◽  
Xin-Chao Yan ◽  
Zhong-Ze Hu

In this trial we aimed to assess the effects of dietary supplementation of 4-O-methyl-glucuronoarabinoxylan (4OMG) on growth performance, thigh meat quality and small intestine development of female Partridge-Shank broilers. A total of 240 1-day-old female Partridge-Shank broilers were randomly distributed to four groups with three replicates of 20 within each group. Groups received either 0, 15, 20 or 25 g 4OMG/kg DM of diet. During the whole experiment of 60 days, broilers had ad libitum access to water and feed. At pen level, feed intake was recorded daily and broilers were weighed at the start and end of the experiment. For each group, three pens with a total of 20 broilers were randomly selected to determine the thigh meat quality and the small intestine development of broilers. Broilers fed diets with higher 4OMG had greater final liveweight (P = 0.004), daily bodyweight gain (P = 0.004) and gain-to-feed ratio (P < 0.001), muscle pH values (P = 0.031) and redness (P = 0.001), duodenal weight index (P = 0.042), jejunal (P = 0.043) and ileal length (P = 0.049), duodenal (P < 0.001) and ileal villus height (P = 0.008), but lower percentage of dead birds (P < 0.001), drip loss (P = 0.042) and shear force value (P = 0.043) of the thigh muscles. These results indicate that increasing dietary supplementation of 4OMG may improve growth performance and meat quality of female Partridge-Shank broilers through better development of small intestine.


Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haibo Wang ◽  
Hang Li ◽  
Fei Wu ◽  
Xinjun Qiu ◽  
Zhantao Yu ◽  
...  

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary energy levels on growth performance, rumen fermentation and bacterial community, and meat quality of Holstein-Friesians bulls slaughtered at different ages. Thirty-six Holstein-Friesians bulls (17 months of age) were divided into a 3 × 3 factorial experiment with three energy levels (LE, ME and HE; metabolizable energy is 10.12, 10.90 and 11.68 MJ/kg, respectively) of diets, and three slaughter ages (20, 23 and 26 months). Results indicated that bulls fed with ME and HE diets had higher dry matter intake, average daily gain, and dressing percentage at 23 or 26 months of age. The ME and HE diets also reduced bacterial diversity, altered relative abundances of bacteria and produced lower concentrations of acetate, but higher butyrate and valerate concentrations in rumen fluid. Increasing in dietary energy and slaughter age increased the intramuscular fat (IMF) and water holding capacity. In summary, Holstein-Friesians bulls fed with ME and HE diets, slaughtered at 23 and 26 months of age could be a good choice to produce beef with high IMF. Slaughter age may have less influence than dietary energy in altering fermentation by increasing amylolytic bacteria and decreasing cellulolytic bacteria, and thus, further affecting meat quality.


2021 ◽  
pp. 101393
Author(s):  
J. Lackner ◽  
A. Albrecht ◽  
M. Mittler ◽  
A. Marx ◽  
J. Kreyenschmidt ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 195-196
Author(s):  
Vetriselvi Sampath ◽  
Hyun Ju Park ◽  
Inho Kim ◽  
Huan Wang ◽  
Raihanul Hoque

Abstract The study was conducted to assess the effect of black pepper (BP) supplementation on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal microbial, fecal gas emission, and meat quality of finishing pigs. A total of 180 crossbred [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] finishing pigs with average initial body weight (BW) of 53.72 ± 1.42 kg were used in 10-week trial and allotted to 6 dietary treatments (6 replications pens/treatment with 5 pigs per pen). The dietary treatments were: CON (basal diet), TRT1- CON + 0.025% BP, TRT2- CON + 0.05% BP, TRT3- CON + 0.1% BP, TRT4- CON + 0.2% BP, TRT5- CON + 0.4% BP. A linear increase (P = 0.0380, 0.0061) in body weight gain (BWG) and average daily gain (ADG) were observed respectively, during the overall trial in pigs fed BP supplemented diet compared to control. The dietary supplementation of BP showed a linear increase (P=0.0065) in gain and feed ratio (G: F) at week 10. However, there were no significant results observed on average daily feed intake (ADFI) during the overall experiment. The total tract digestibility of dry matter (DM) was linearly improved (P=0.0531) in BP treatment groups compared to control. In addition, BP diet supplementation had linearly increased fecal Lactobacillus counts (P=0.0482) and decreased E. coli counts (P=0.0306) in pigs at week 10. Furthermore, NH3, methyl mercaptans, and acetic acid was linearly decreased (P=0.0227, 0.0555,0.0541) in pigs fed BP supplementation compare to control. The inclusion of BP supplementation in pigs diet had linearly increased (P=0.0146) the backfat thickness at week 10. Thus, we concluded that BP supplementation had positively enhanced the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal microbial, fecal gas emission, and meat quality of finishing pigs.


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