Kenneth Stalder

INTRODUCTIONIn 2016, 63% of U.S. market hog sales originated in Iowa and the surrounding six states (USDA, 2017). While Midwest swine production is in a unique position of being favorably located geographically, such density increases the risk of disease transmission among farms.Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the costliest disease facing pig producers. Holtkamp et a ...

BackgroundIndigestible markers are commonly used in animal nutrition studies to calculate digestibility coefficients, with chromic oxide, titanium dioxide, and acid insoluble ash being the most common in swine research [1]. Physiological aspects associated with gastric emptying or rate of passage are complex and affected by a variety of factors [2, 3]. Rate of passage can be affected by BW [4], fe ...

Introduction It has been reported that during routine vaccinations, h pigs can display a "buzz" response. A buzz response can be defined as the 6-h period immediately following vaccination, where pigs display marked lethargy. To report this alteration in a pigs' behavior, the authors used a "willingness to approach" (WTA) methodology. The paper reported statistical differences between pre- and pos ...

Introduction In recent years, several production systems in the United States have gone from housing grow-finish pigs in small pens of <30 pigs to much large pens of >100 pigs per pen. Recent industry accounts, however, suggest that these large pen configurations may have negative aspects on growth performance of the pigs and morbidity / mortality. In addition, little is known about how thes ...

Introduction The breeding objective for a swine nucleus selection program is to improve crossbred commercial performance. Most genetic improvement programs are based on an assumed relationship between purebred performance in a nucleus herd and their relatives' crossbred performance in a commercial herd. Since nucleus animals have fewer parities to shorten the generation interval and longevity is ...

Summary and Implications The objective of this experiment was to compare two approachability definitions of nursery pigs to a human observer in their home pen using a digital image. A total of 79 pens in two rooms (40 in room 1 and 39 in room 2) were used. A total of 1,817, ~6 wk old mixed sexed nursery pigs, weighing ~25.4 kg were used. Two definitions for pigs reacting to a human in their home p ...