No abstract

Telemetric techniques for the monitoring of physiological parameters during housing, handling and transport may help producers to reduce mortality and improve meat quality. In order to know the reliability of electrocardiogram parameters as stress indicators, piglets (12 to 23 kg) being different with respect to the halothane gene (homozygous halothane sensitive (nn) and non-sensitive (NN), heterozygotes (nN)), and thus different with respect to stress susceptibility, were monitored with an ambulatory ECG device during housing, handling and transport. Skeletal muscularity of all animals was measured with an ultrasound device.Heterozygotes and homozygote halothane sensitive piglets had a higher muscularity, but only the homozygotes had a higher ST-elevation from the isoelectric line of the QRST-complex of the electrocardiogram when measured within housing conditions. This means a different propagation of the electric current related to the activation of the ventricle. Halothane gene carriers (Nn and nn piglets) had a statistically significant higher mean maximal heart rate during housing conditions. During handling heart rate rose by 14·8%, 0·61% and 42·9% respectively for NN, nN and nn piglets, with nn piglets having the highest values. During transport these measurements were respectively 6·88%, 3·66% and 9·7% higher for lines NN, nN and nn as compared with those in housing conditions. Heart arrhythmicity parameters were not different between housing and transport, but during handling up to a 23-fold increase could be observed.Heart rate and arrhythmicity parameters may generate reliable information to monitor stress during housing, handling and transport of piglets through genotypes and skeletal muscularity.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Summary — Despite the application of environmental engineering and control of air temperature within houses for intensively kept pigs, health and behavioural related problems are still observed which reduce the profit of the producer. Since these problems are influenced by the environment within a pen, an examination has been made of the possibilities of controlling floor temperature which must influence the micro-climate of the pig pen. Within these experiments, the object was to stabilize the lying behaviour of pigs, so that they preferred the same area for lying, ie not the dunging area, throughout the growing period. A series of experiments was set up with growing pigs (10-30 kg) within climatic rooms, in which air temperature, air velocity and floor temperature were controlled. The air flow pattern was the same for all rooms and for all experiments. The lying behaviour, feed intake and growth rate were studied in relation to the above environmental parameters. The results show that the preferred floor temperature is dependent on pig age and on the nature of the floor itself. In order to stabilise the lying behaviour through the experimental period the temperature of the incoming air must also be taken into account. Parameters with respect to the thermoregulatory behaviour of pigs are put forward to be integrated within environmental control and engineering sys-