Evolution of welfare indicators of pigs housed in deep bedding systems during growing and finishing phases: assessment of good health principles and housing conditions.

The aim of the study was to monitor the evolution of welfare indicators of pigs throughout growing and finishing phases housed in a deep bedding system by principles of good health and housing. In all, 16,500 animals, distributed in 15 facilities, were evaluated over a 4-month period. Three assessments were carried out in each facility by a single evaluator, according to the following time distribution: phase one (75 to 85 days old), phase two (86 to 161 days old), and phase three (162 to 180 days old). Only the parameters related to good health and good housing were considered. Data were analyzed by logistic regression for longitudinal data. Poisson distribution was used on the coughing and sneezing data, with subsequent chi-square analysis. There were no cases of poor body condition, shivering, panting, huddling, tail biting, pumping, twisted snout, rectal prolapse, lameness, and skin conditions. The final evaluations were associated with greater chances of hernia and bursitis, with greater prevalence in males than in females. The prevalence of wound and manure on the body parameters was influenced by the interaction of the evaluation and animal category. The incidence of coughing and the number of animals presenting this symptom gradually increased, becoming considerably higher in the final stage of evaluation. Health-related problems change throughout the production cycle. The evaluation of a broad and reliable view on animal welfare allows for the most appropriate management of production systems using deep bedding.

Effects of encapsulated sodium butyrate and phytogenic on growth performance, carcass traits and health of growing-finishing pigs / Efeitos do butirato de sódio encapsulado e fitogênico sobre o desempenho, características da carcaça e saúde de suínos em fase de crescimento e terminação

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to evaluate two feed additives, one based on encapsulated sodium butyrate (Adimix® Precision) (AD) and the other, a phytogenic (Apex® 5) (AX), associated or not with an antimicrobial growth promoter (tylosin) during the growth and finishing phases on performance, carcass characteristics and health conditions. A total of 300 barrows and females were distributed in six treatments in a randomized block design with ten replicates. The treatments consisted of a negative control (NC), positive control (PC) (tylosin), AD (encapsulated sodium butyrate), AX (phytogenic), PC+AD (tylosin+encapsulated sodium butyrate), and PC+AX (tylosin+phytogenic). The performance (live weight, daily feed intake, average daily gain and feed conversion) and carcass data (carcass weight, backfat thickness, loin depth, lean meat on the carcass) were submitted to ANOVA plus Tukey's test, and the health conditions (occurrence of diseases, culling, and spontaneous deaths) were analyzed by χ2. Animals of the AD group had the highest average daily gain (ADG) over the evaluation period and the highest live weight at 120, 140, and 164 days of age, in addition to the highest carcass weight compared to NC and PC groups. The AX treatment increased the ADG in growth phase II and the live weight at 120 and 140 days of age in relation to the NC. The PC+AX group had a higher final live weight compared to the NC and PC groups and higher carcass weight in relation to the NC group. There was no difference among treatments for backfat thickness, percentage of lean meat in the carcass, or occurrence of diseases and deaths. The inclusion of encapsulated sodium butyrate (AD treatment) was effective in increasing ADG, final live weight, and carcass weight compared to supplementation with tylosin (PC treatment), as was the inclusion of a phytogenic (AX treatment) on FC compared to the PC.

RESUMO: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar dois aditivos alimentares, um a base de butirato de sódio encapsulado (Adimix® Precision) (AD) e outro a base de um fitogênico (Apex® 5) (AX), associados ou não a um antibiótico promotor de crescimento (tilosina), durante as fases de crescimento e terminação, sobre o desempenho, características da carcaça e status de saúde. Foram utilizados 300 suínos machos castrados e fêmeas distribuídos em seis tratamentos em um delineamento em blocos casualizados com dez repetições. Os tratamentos consistiram em um controle negativo (CN), controle positivo (CP) (tilosina), AD (butirato de sódio encapsulado), AX (fitogênico), CP+AD (tilosina+butirato de sódio encapsulado) e CP+AX (tilosina+fitogênico). Os dados de desempenho (peso vivo, consumo diário de ração, ganho de peso médio diário e conversão alimentar) e de carcaça (peso de carcaça, espessura de toucinho, profundidade do lombo e carne magra na carcaça) foram submetidos à ANOVA seguido por teste de Tukey, e os dados de condição de saúde (ocorrência de doenças, animais eutanasiados e mortos espontaneamente) foram analisados pelo teste de χ2. Os animais do grupo AD apresentaram maior ganho de peso diário (GPD) durante o período de avaliação e maior peso vivo aos 120, 140 e 164 dias de idade, além de maior peso de carcaça em comparação aos grupos CN e CP. O tratamento AX aumentou o GPD na fase crescimento II e o peso vivo aos 120 e 140 dias de idade em relação ao CN. O grupo CP+AX apresentou maior peso final em relação aos grupos CN e CP e maior peso de carcaça em relação ao CN. Não houve diferença entre os tratamentos para espessura de toucinho, porcentagem de carne magra na carcaça e ocorrência de doenças e óbitos. A inclusão de butirato de sódio encapsulado (tratamento AD) foi efetiva no aumento de GPD, peso final e peso de carcaça em comparação à suplementação com tilosina (tratamento CP), assim como a inclusão fitogênico (tratamento AX) melhorou a conversão alimentar em comparação ao grupo CP.

Increasing doses of phytase from Citrobacter braakii in diets with reduced inorganic phosphorus and calcium improve growth performance and lean meat of growing and finishing pigs.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of increasing doses of bacterial phytase (RONOZYME HiPhos) on performance and carcass characteristics of growing and finishing pigs. The study included 120 castrated males with initial weight of 23.21 ± 1.91 kg and 68 days of age, distributed in a randomized block design with five treatments and eight replicates with three animals each. The pigs were fed five corn-soybean meal-based diets: positive control (PC), supplemented with inorganic phosphorus and calcium; negative control (NC), with 0.13% reduction in available phosphorus and 0.11% in calcium; and three NC diets supplemented with 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 phytase units (FYT)/kg in the feed. Compared with the NC diets without phytase, diets with 1,000, 2,000, and 3,000 FYT/kg inclusion increased the daily weight gain by +12% (quadratic, p<0.05) during the growing I period; +2.9, +2.9, and +10.5% (linear, p<0.01), respectively, during the growing II period; and +4.1, +5.1, and +8.2% (linear, p<0.001), respectively, over the entire experimental period. The daily feed intake increased by 0, +2.8, and +4.3% (linear, p<0.05), respectively, considering the entire experimental period; and the final live weight increased by +3.2, +4.2, and +6.1% (linear, p<0.001), respectively. The phytase treatments did not influence feed conversion ratio, carcass weight and yield, backfat thickness, loin depth and carcass lean meat. According to the European Carcass Classification (SEUROP), however, the animals fed the PC diet and the three phytase levels had more carcasses classified as E (between 55-60% lean meat) when compared to carcasses of pigs fed the NC. Supplementing increasing levels of phytase to a corn- and soybean meal-based diet with inorganic P and Ca reduction improved daily weight gain and feed intake of growing pigs, and such effects were maintained until slaughter age.