Season, Transport Duration and Trailer Compartment Effects on Blood Stress Indicators in Pigs: Relationship to Environmental, Behavioral and Other Physiological Factors, and Pork Quality Traits.

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of the season, travel duration and trailer compartment location on blood creatine-kinase (CK), lactate and cortisol concentrations in 384 pigs and assess their relationships with trailer temperature, heart rate and gastrointestinal tract temperature (GTT), behavior, carcass damage scores and meat quality. Blood CK was greater in pigs transported in summer ( = 0.02), after 18 h transportation ( < 0.

Effects of season, truck type, and location within truck on gastrointestinal tract temperature of market-weight pigs during transport.

Two experiments were done to assess the effects of season, truck type, and location in the truck on the gastrointestinal tract temperature (GTT) of market-weight pigs during transport. In Exp. 1, a total of 504 sentinel pigs were selected from a total load of 3,756 pigs over 12 wk in summer or winter and transported in either a double-decked (DD) hydraulic truck or a pot-belly (PB) trailer for 2 h.

Measure and characterization of lameness in gestating sows using force plate, kinematic, and accelerometer methods.

The objective was to assess sows' lameness by measuring weight distribution on limbs using a force plate made up of 4 individual platforms each resting on 4 single-ended beam load cells. The weight was recorded at an average rate of 14 readings per s over a 15 min period. Ten sows (5 lame sows and 5 sound sows) were weighed twice on 2 different days to assess the repeatability of the measure.

Welfare of Pigs Being Transported over Long Distances Using a Pot-Belly Trailer during Winter and Summer.

A total of 2,145 pigs were transported for 8 h in summer (six trips) and winter (five trips) using a pot-belly trailer accommodating pigs in four locations (upper deck or UD, bottom-nose or BN, middle deck or MD and bottom deck or BD). Heart rate of pigs during loading and transportation and lactate and creatine kinase (CK) concentrations in exsanguination blood were measured. Meat quality was evaluated in the Longissimus thoracis (LT), Semimembranosus (SM) and Adductor (AD) muscles.

Effect of rest duration on recovery from repeated exercise in near-market-weight pigs.

The process of transportation can be seen as a succession of stressors, from which pigs may not have time to recover before slaughter. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the duration of the rest time given to near-market-weight pigs after an initial exposure to exercise affected their recovery from subsequent exercise. Eighteen groups of 3 gilts were exercised (Ex1) through a standard handling course, including two 19° ramps, and then were held in a holding pen for either 35 (RT35), 75 (RT75), or 150 (RT150) min (Rest Period 1, RP1).