From birth to lying on- or under a supplemental heat source: How long does it take for half the litter to lie down and how long do they stay?

Piglets are susceptible to hypothermia because they lack hair and energy reserves, have a large surface area to body weight ratio, and have poor body thermostability. Different heat sources are used on farm, but it is not known how long it takes half a litter to locate it and lie down. The objectives of this study were to determine 1) how long it took for ≥ 50% of piglets to locate and lie on- or under the supplemental heat source for ≥ 5 min after the birth of the last-born pig and, 2) how long this cohort of piglets laid on- or under the heat source.

Validation of Standing and Locomotion Scoring, Behavioral Assessments, and Mechanical Nociceptive Threshold Testing on Naturally Occurring Sow Lameness.

The objective of this study was to validate standing and locomotion lameness scoring, mechanical nociceptive threshold testing, and behavioral profile tools for the diagnosis of naturally occurring lameness etiologies in pigs. A total of 55 crossbred gilts and sows obtained from a commercial farm were enrolled in the study; with sound pigs classified as controls (8) and the remainder as lame due to integumentary (20), musculoskeletal (15), and combinations of integumentary and musculoskeletal (12) etiologies. Standing and locomotion lameness, mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) test, pig-human interventions, and latency to complete an obstacle course were evaluated.

Deep learning based landmark detection for measuring hock and knee angles in sows.

This paper presents a visual deep learning approach to automatically determine hock and knee angles from sow images. Lameness is the second largest reason for culling of breeding herd females and relies on human observers to provide visual scoring for detection which can be slow, subjective, and inconsistent. A deep learning model classified and detected ten and two key body landmarks from the side and rear profile images, respectively (mean average precision = 0.

Impact of polyethylene glenoid cementation technique on cement mantle integrity and stability after cyclic loading: a computed tomography and biomechanical study.

Background: There are no generally accepted guidelines for polyethylene (PE) glenoid component cementation techniques. In particular, it is not known whether the backside of a PE glenoid should be fully or partially cemented-or not cemented at all. We hypothesized that cementing techniques would have an impact on cement mantle volume and integrity, as well as biomechanical stability, measured as micromotion under cyclic loading.

The Use of Attractants to Stimulate Neonatal Piglet Interest in Rope Enrichment.

In the United States swine industry, preweaning mortality represents the highest mortality rate of any production phase, nearly half attributed to crushing. The overarching aim of this study was to determine if enrichment ropes would entice neonatal piglets away from the sow and reduce preweaning mortality. Rope enrichments were provided to 161 piglets from 26 sows after farrowing.

Embedded microcomputer-based force plate system validation when evaluating lameness severity differentiation under an induced synovitis model in lactating dairy cattle.

Bovine lameness has relatively large negative economic and welfare implications on the U.S. dairy industry.

Longevity and lifetime reproductive trait genetic parameter estimates from Thai Landrace and Large White pig populations.

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for age at first farrowing (AFF), length of productive life (LPL), lifetime number of piglets born alive (LNBA), lifetime number of piglets weaned (LNW), lifetime wean to first service interval (LW2S), and lifetime pig efficiency (LTP365) from commercial Thai Landrace and Large White populations. Data from 12,843 Landrace (LR) and 14,757 Large White (LW) sows in a Thai commercial pork production system were utilized in this study. The genetic parameters for each trait were estimated using the average information restricted maximum likelihood algorithm where a multivariate animal model was implemented.

Measuring birth weight and umbilical cord diameter at birth to predict subsequent performance in swine.

In the swine industry, pre-weaning mortality, umbilical hernia incidence and pig market weight are a few contributing factors affecting profitability and welfare on farm. Therefore, the ability to reliably predict any of these outcomes is valuable to swine operations. Mortality during the pre-weaning phase, umbilical hernia incidence and poor-quality finisher pigs can represent a multi-million dollar loss and increase in welfare concerns to the producer.

Genetic Basis of Blood-Based Traits and Their Relationship With Performance and Environment in Beef Cattle at Weaning.

The objectives of this study were to explore the usefulness of blood-based traits as indicators of health and performance in beef cattle at weaning and identify the genetic basis underlying the different blood parameters obtained from complete blood counts (CBCs). Disease costs represent one of the main factors determining profitability in animal production. Previous research has observed associations between blood cell counts and an animal's health status in some species.

Identification of measures predictive of age of puberty onset in gilts.

A potential indicator of female lifetime productivity in swine is age of puberty, when a gilt achieves her first behavioral estrus. Follicular activity, as determined by tertiary follicle development, in prepubertal gilts begins during postnatal day (PND) 75 to 115. The central hypothesis of this study is that gilts demonstrating tertiary follicle development earlier in life, assessed using vulva size as a proxy, achieve puberty earlier in life compared with counterparts of a similar age and weight that lack tertiary follicle development.

Methods for reproductive tract scoring as a tool for improving sow productivity.

Improving sow lifetime productivity is essential for maximizing farm profitability. Study objectives were to determine the accuracy for different vulva scoring methods in a commercial production system and to assess whether gilt reproductive tract scoring [evaluated by vulva width (VW)] prior to puberty could serve as useful gilt selection criteria. To accomplish this objective, 958 prepubertal replacement gilts in a commercial system were evaluated at approximately 15 wk of age.

Quantitation of Gait and Stance Alterations Due to Monosodium Iodoacetate-induced Knee Osteoarthritis in Yucatan Swine.

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of chronic pain worldwide, and several animal models have been developed to investigate disease mechanisms and treatments to combat associated morbidities. Here we describe a novel method for assessment of locomotor pain behavior in Yucatan swine. We used monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) to induce osteoarthritis in the hindlimb knee, and then conducted live observation, quantitative gait analysis, and quantitative weight-bearing stance analysis.

Identifying early indicator traits for sow longevity using a linear-threshold model in Thai Large White and Landrace females.

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the possibility of utilizing an early litter size trait as an indirect selection trait for longevity and to estimate genetic parameters between sow stayability and litter size at different parities using a linear-threshold model for longevity in Thai Large White (LW) and Landrace (LR) populations.

Methods: The data included litter size at first, second, and third parities (NBA1, NBA2, and NBA3) and sow stayability from first to fourth farrowings (STAY14). The data was obtained from 10,794 LR and 9,475 LW sows.

Koala and Wombat Gammaherpesviruses Encode the First Known Viral NTPDase Homologs and Are Phylogenetically Divergent from All Known Gammaherpesviruses.

There is a large taxonomic gap in our understanding of mammalian herpesvirus genetics and evolution corresponding to those herpesviruses that infect marsupials, which diverged from eutherian mammals approximately 150 million years ago (mya). We compare the genomes of two marsupial gammaherpesviruses, (PhaHV1) and (VoHV1), which infect koalas () and wombats (), respectively. The core viral genomes were approximately 117 kbp and 110 kbp in length, respectively, sharing 69% pairwise nucleotide sequence identity.

Objective evaluation of female feet and leg joint conformation at time of selection and post first parity in swine1.

Feet and legs of replacement females were objectively evaluated at selection, i.e., approximately 150 d of age (n = 319) and post first parity, i.

Short communication: The effect of novel antiseptic compounds on umbilical cord healing and incidence of infection in dairy calves.

The goal of dipping the umbilical cord after birth in calves is to promote healing of the umbilical stump, prevent infection, and encourage the umbilical tissue to detach from the body. Treatment applied to the umbilical area is an important management step for preventing morbidity and mortality in calves. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of 4 umbilical dips on the healing rate, incidence of infection, and age at umbilical cord detachment using newborn Holstein heifer calves (n = 73).

Cryptococcosis in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus): pathogenesis and treatment in the context of two atypical cases.

Disseminated cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus gattii (molecular type VGI) was diagnosed in an adult free-ranging female koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Subclinical cryptococcosis was later diagnosed in this koala's joey. In the adult koala, a pathological fracture of the tibia was associated with the bone lysis of marked focal cryptococcal osteomyelitis.

Impact of health challenges on pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and net returns under commercial conditions.

Understanding how disease affects commercial production is imperative for pig producers to quantify its full impact on pig performance, carcass quality, and net returns. The objective of this experiment was to assess the productivity and economic importance of naturally occurring health challenges () under commercial conditions. Three 1,000 pig grow-finish facilities received 936 pigs each.

Effect of feeding three lysine to energy diets on growth, body composition and age at puberty in replacement gilts.

This study evaluated the effect of diets differing in standard ileal digestible (SID) lysine on lysine intake, growth rate, body composition and age at puberty on maternal line gilts. Crossbred Large White×Landrace gilts (n=641) were fed corn-soybean diets differing in SID lysine concentration (%, g SID lysine:Mcal ME); diets were not isocaloric. Gilts received three grower, finisher diet combinations: low (0.

Infectious Disease Surveillance in the Woylie (Bettongia penicillata).

Wild populations of the critically endangered woylie (Bettongia penicillata) recently declined by 90% in southwest Western Australia. Increased predation is the leading hypothesis for decline, but disease may be playing a role increasing susceptibility to predation. To explore this possibility, we surveyed woylie populations in the wild, in captivity and in a predator-free sanctuary for exposure to, and infection with, four known pathogens of macropods: herpesviruses, Wallal and Warrego orbiviruses, and Toxoplasma gondii.

Disappearance and appearance of an indigestible marker in feces from growing pigs as affected by previous- and current-diet composition.

Background: Indigestible markers are commonly utilized in digestion studies, but the complete disappearance or maximum appearance of a marker in feces can be affected by diet composition, feed intake, or an animal's BW. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of previous (Phase 1, P1) and current- (Phase 2, P2) diet composition on marker disappearance (Cr) and appearance (Ti) in pigs fed 3 diets differing in NDF content.

Results: When pigs were maintained on the 25.

SID lysine requirement of immunologically and physically castrated male pigs during the grower, early and late finisher periods.

The main objective of this experiment was to determine the standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys requirement of immunologically castrated (IC) and physically castrated (PC) male pigs during 3 growth phases. An additional objective was to compare the ADFI of PC and IC after the second anti-gonadotropin releasing factor (GnRF) injection. Three hundred male pigs (PIC 359 × C29), 150 each of IC and PC, were allotted to 1 of 5 treatments: 80, 90, 100, 110, or 120% of the estimated Lys requirement using the modeling program.

Genetic relationship between purebred and crossbred sow longevity.

Background: The overall breeding objective for a nucleus swine selection program is to improve crossbred commercial performance. Most genetic improvement programs are based on an assumed high degree of positive relationship between purebred performance in a nucleus herd and their relatives' crossbred performance in a commercial herd. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between purebred and crossbred sow longevity performance.

Association of calf growth traits with production characteristics in dairy cattle.

The objective of this study was to understand the associations of calf growth traits with subsequent milk yield and body weight (BW). Data were collected for 281 Holstein heifer calves from 6 different calf trials of varying lengths (4 to 8 wk) conducted at Pennsylvania State University between 2003 and 2010. Calves were classified as high, medium, or low for hip height, starter feed intake, BW, and growth rate.

Evaluation of growth, deposition of back fat, and loin muscle for purebred Berkshire pigs housed in bedded hoop buildings.

This study was conducted to evaluate the accretion of BW, back fat, and loin muscle from purebred Berkshire pigs raised in bedded hoop barns in Iowa. The growth of a total of 144 purebred Berkshire pigs (18 barrows and 18 gilts per trial) was evaluated from 4 trials (2 winter and 2 summer trials). Pigs were fed ad libitum utilizing a 5-phase standard corn-soybean meal feeding program that met or exceeded NRC nutrient requirements.