Publications by authors named "A V Van den Broeke"
Article Synopsis
- - The administration of a GnRF analog in gilts leads to the production of antibodies that effectively suppress ovarian activity and delay sexual maturation, preventing them from reaching puberty before harvest at 27 weeks of age.
- - In three studies, vaccinated gilts showed significantly smaller reproductive organs and lower levels of progesterone and estradiol compared to untreated gilts, with antibody levels remaining elevated following vaccination.
- - These findings suggest that vaccination protocols can be tailored to fit different pig management practices, offering veterinarians and producers flexible options to control the puberty timing in gilts.
As climate change intensifies, heat stress mitigation for pigs becomes more important. Trials involving induced heat waves are useful to test several measures (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeat stress in pigs negatively affects welfare, health, and performance. Osmoprotectants and antioxidants may alleviate oxidative damage during hot periods. We investigated whether an additive-enriched feed can reduce negative effects in pigs during summer conditions.
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- * Two experiments compared the CFP of growing-finishing pigs of various sexes raised under different conditions, revealing that heavier pigs consistently had a higher CFP relative to their carcass growth and weight.
- * A soy-free feed in the final phase showed that high slaughter weights can lead to lower sustainability unless low-CFP feed is used, indicating that feed choices play a vital role in mitigating environmental impact.
Article Synopsis
- Immunocastration and rearing entire males (EMs) are alternatives to surgical castration, but they have varying risks of boar taint that need to be detected at slaughter.
- The study evaluated pelvic urogenital tract weight as a potential indicator for identifying boar-taint animals, measuring various androgen-related substances and reproductive organ weights in both EMs and immunocastrates (ICs).
- Results showed that a significant majority of EMs had high androstenone levels, while most ICs did not, suggesting that pelvic urogenital tract weight could be a reliable way to identify at-risk carcasses, particularly in EMs.