A five domains assessment of sow welfare in a novel free farrowing system.

The Maternity Ring was developed as a free farrowing alternative to crates that preserved space whilst providing the sow with unrestricted movement. This experiment aimed to apply the Five Domains model to assess sow welfare in the Maternity Ring in comparison with the farrowing crate. Eighty-eight sows were housed in a farrowing crate (FC) and 83 in a Maternity Ring (MR), and measures collected focussed on nutrition, environment, health, behaviour, and mental state outcomes.

Excess dietary Lys reduces feed intake, stimulates jejunal CCK secretion and alters essential and non-essential blood AA profile in pigs.

Background: Commercial diets are frequently formulated to meet or exceed nutrient levels including those of limiting essential amino acids (AA) covering potential individual variations within the herd. However, the provision of dietary excess of AA, such as Lys, may lead to reduced appetite and growth in pigs. The mechanisms modulating these responses have not been extensively investigated.

Review: Towards truly stall-free pork production?

The individual housing of sows and boars within stalls is still frequent in commercial pork production, especially when the risk for impaired reproduction or welfare is high. Whilst many countries have either removed stall housing in gestation or are working towards this through the successful adoption of group housing, stalls are still used around weaning and mating and in farrowing crates for sows. In this review, we describe the stages in which stall use still occurs and why this is so, with the aim of determining whether stall-free pork production can realistically be achieved through successful industry adoption.

Leucine (and lysine) increased plasma levels of the satiety hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), and phenylalanine of the incretin glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) after oral gavages in pigs.

Excess dietary amino acids (AA) has been associated with reduced feed intake, increased satiation, and extended satiety in pigs. Recent ex vivo studies suggested that satiety peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) and insulinotropic glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), mediated the anorexigenic or insulinotropic effects of Lys, Glu, Phe, Ile, and Leu. However, the ex vivo model limitations require validation in vivo.

An oral gavage of lysine elicited early satiation while gavages of lysine, leucine, or isoleucine prolonged satiety in pigs.

Excess dietary amino acids (AA) may negatively affect feed intake in pigs. Previous results showed that Lys, Leu, Ile, Phe, and Glu significantly increased gut peptide secretion (i.e.