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). Calves were alternately assigned by birth order to 4 treatment groups: 7% iodine, a dry dip formulated using an antibacterial peptide (nisin) mixed with talc (3.105 g of nisin per 100 g of talcum powder on a weight per weight basis), liquid nisin (64 µg/mL), and 4% chlorhexidine mixed with alcohol in a 50:50 solution. Umbilical cords were dipped 30 min after birth. Before initial dipping, umbilical cord diameter (as an indicator of the rate of cord drying and healing rate) was determined using a digital caliper. The caliper measurements were repeated at 24 ± 1, 48 ± 1, and 72 ± 1 h (±standard deviation) of age and were continued daily until the umbilical cord healed and detached from the animal's body. Diagnosed umbilical infections were documented by veterinary staff based on a combination of clinical symptoms (redness, swelling, purulent discharge, painful response (flinch or kicking) to palpation of the umbilical stump) in addition to a lack of appetite and fever. Data were analyzed using MIXED model procedures with fixed effect of umbilical treatment. No treatment differences were noted between dips on the umbilical cord drying rate or days for umbilical cord to detach. Treatment effects were observed on incidence of umbilical infection (incidence of infection for calves across all treatments was 9.0%).
One hundred twenty 8-wk-old barrows (20.3 +/- 2.0 kg BW) were used to examine the effect of split marketing on selected behavioral, physiological and performance parameters. Pigs were assigned by weight in a randomized complete block design to one of three treatments: SM (split-marketed), six pigs/pen (1.83 m2/pig); C (control), six pigs/pen (1.83 m2/pig); or MC (modified control), three pigs/pen (3.66 m2/pig). The heaviest half of SM animals were removed 1 wk prior to marketing penmates. Control and MC animals remained in their respective groups until marketing. Animals were videotaped during the first 72 h of the study (INITIAL), 72 h prior to (PRE), and following the removal (POST) of pigs in the SM treatment to quantify maintenance behaviors and to identify socially dominant, intermediate, and submissive pigs. A blood sample was collected from each animal upon completion of INITIAL, PRE, and POST time periods to determine neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio and plasma haptoglobin, cortisol, and corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) levels. Animals were weighed and feed disappearance was calculated biweekly. Tenth-rib backfat and area of the longissimus muscle at marketing were ultrasonically evaluated on all animals. Regardless of treatment, animals were more (P < 0.01) active (eating, standing/walking, fighting) at INITIAL than at PRE or POST times. Frequency and duration of fights per pen were less (P < 0.01) in MC than in C or SM pigs for all periods observed. Neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, plasma haptoglobin, and CBG levels were greater (P < 0.01) during the INITIAL period than during the PRE or POST periods but did not differ between treatments. No treatment or time differences were detected in plasma cortisol levels. The MC pigs exhibited greater (P < 0.01) ADFI with poorer feed efficiency compared to C or SM pigs up to split marketing. During the POST period, both MC and SM pigs had greater (P < 0.01) ADFI with poorer (P < 0.01) feed efficiency than C pigs. The ADG was not different among animals as a result of treatment. There were no treatment differences for any of the carcass measurements. Significant differences in performance between the treatment groups could not be attributed to any physiological or behavioral measures reported here.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of development diet on first-parity reproductive performance across different genetic types of females. Gilts (n = 708) 8 to 15 d of age from five genetic lines were assembled using a segregated early weaning protocol. Genetic types represented industry variation for reproductive capacity and lean growth potential. Sampling procedures were not designed to evaluate performance differences among the genetic lines. When the gilts weighed approximately 20 kg, they were moved from the nursery facilities to a slotted-floor, environmentally controlled facility, and seven to eight animals within a genetic type were penned together. When the gilts weighed approximately 40 kg, they were moved to a modified open-front facility. Nineteen gilts were allotted to each pen (.92 m2 per pig). Gilts were assigned to one of three development diets at 120 d of age. Diet 1 (high energy, 18% CP) and Diet 2 (high energy, 13% CP) were provided for ad libitum consumption to the assigned gilts until they weighed approximately 113 kg. Gilts receiving Diet 3 (23% CP) were fed 1.8 kg/d from 82 kg until they reached 180 d of age (approximately 100 kg). Gilts were fed 2 kg daily of a gestation diet from 180 d to 200 d of age and 2.7 kg daily from 200 d until mating. To stimulate the estrus cycle, gilts were commingled and exposed to vasectomized boars beginning at 180 d of age. Gilts that were in estrus and 210 d of age or older were artificially inseminated with commercial semen. Gilts not detected in estrus within the first 50 d of observation were injected with PG600 and estrus detection continued for 30 additional days. Of the 657 gilts entering breeding pens, 422 farrowed. Bred gilts were distributed to 10 cooperator facilities before farrowing. Mixed model procedures were used to analyze the data. Significant (P < .05) genetic type x gilt development diet interactions were found for number of pigs born, number of pigs born alive, total litter birth weight, and litter birth weight of pigs born alive. Significant interactions consistently involved one genetic line and gilt development Diets 1 and 2. Gilts from this genetic line-diet subclass had poorer farrowing performance (P < .05) than gilts from the same line fed development Diet 3. Only two other significant genetic line x gilt development diet interactions were found. Gilt development diet had little influence on first-parity reproductive performance.
The objective of this study was to test for effects of gametic imprinting on litter size in swine by estimating variances for parent-specific gametic effects. Data were 64,047 and 137,009 multiparous records of number born alive for the U.S. Landrace and Yorkshire breeds, respectively. The statistical model included fixed effects of parity number and herd, and random effects of herd-year-season, mate, permanent environment, animal (additive genetic), and either maternal or paternal gametes. A Bayesian approach that used Gibbs sampling to obtain posterior distributions was employed. To aid in the interpretation of results, the Landrace data structure was used to simulate data with and without effects of imprinting. Analyses of the simulated records indicated that the model applied was capable of detecting effects of imprinting when such effects were present. Small, but non-zero, estimates of gametic variances were obtained when no imprinting was simulated. Estimates of the proportion of total variance accounted for by paternally transmitted gametes were 0.8 and 0.9% for Landrace and Yorkshires, respectively. These estimates were different from zero, but were similar to the results observed for data simulated without an imprinting effect. Corresponding results for maternally transmitted gametes were 1.6% for Landrace and 0.8% for Yorkshires. The estimate for Landrace was significantly greater than that observed for Yorkshires and for the simulations without a true effect and suggested the presence of a non-Mendelian genetic influence on litter size. Paternally imprinted genes are a plausible reason for the observed results. Assuming that the effect observed was due to paternal imprinting at a single biallelic locus, the substitution effect of the superior allele could be greater than 0.7 piglets per litter. Identification of a genetic marker for such an allele would be useful in marker-assisted selection of females. Other possible explanations exist for the increased gametic variance in the Landrace breed, but these explanations (such as maternal or cytoplasmic effects) may be less likely than paternal imprinting.
This chapter discusses the domestication and the development, identification, description and molecular biology of pig breeds.
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