Effects of transport duration on maintenance behavior, heart rate and gastrointestinal tract temperature of market-weight pigs in 2 seasons1

Abstract

Welfare and meat quality of market-weight pigs may be negatively affected by transport duration and environmental temperatures, which vary considerably between seasons. This study evaluated the effects of 3 transport durations (6, 12, and 18 h) on the physiology and behavior of pigs in summer and winter in western Canada. Market-weight pigs were transported using a pot-belly trailer at an average loading density of 0.375 m(2)/100 kg. Four replicates of each transport duration were conducted during each season. Heart rate and gastrointestinal tract temperature (GTT) were monitored from loading to unloading in 16 pigs from 4 selected trailer compartments (n = 96 groups, total of 384 animals, BW = 120.8 ± 0.4 kg), namely top front (C1), top back (C4), middle front (C5), and bottom rear (C10). Behavior was recorded for pigs (948 and 924 animals, in summer and winter, respectively) in C1, C4, and C5 during transportation (standing, sitting, lying), and during 90 min in lairage (sitting, lying, drinking, latency to rest) for pigs in all 4 compartments. Transport was split into 7 periods: loading, pre-travel (PT), initial travel (IT), pre-arrival 1 (PA1) and 2 (PA2), unloading, and lairage. During IT and PA2, pigs spent less time lying in winter than summer (P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively). During PA1, PA2, and unloading, a greater (P < 0.001) heart rate was found in pigs transported in winter compared with summer. During PA2, pigs subjected to the 18-h transport treatment in winter had a greater (P < 0.05) GTT than the other groups. In lairage, pigs transported for 18 h in winter drank more (P < 0.001) and took longer to rest (P < 0.01) than pigs from other groups. During PA1, pigs transported for 18 h had the greatest GTT (P < 0.001). At unloading, pigs transported for 6 h had the lowest GTT (P < 0.001). In lairage, pigs transported for 18 h spent less time lying than those transported for 6 or 12 h (P < 0.001). These results suggest that in winter, pigs increased their metabolism and were reluctant to rest on cold floors. Pigs transported for 18 h in winter showed greater evidence of thirst. It may be concluded that under western Canadian climatic conditions, long transports (18 h) in cold weather appear to be more detrimental to pig welfare.

The effect of transport density and gender on skin temperature and carcass and meat quality in pigs

“…Skin temperature of pigs on the farm and during the loading activities showed no difference because the evaluations were performed in close time intervals, and the temperature only increased at the end of the preslaughter period of transport. Similar to previous studies reported no difference between loading until 570 min after departure from the farm increased at unloading (GOUMON et al, 2013).…”

Effects of various pre-slaughter conditions on pig carcasses and meat quality in a low-input slaughter facility

“…In the current study, the decrease in ambient temperature resulted in increased pH 45 value (r = -0.64, P <0.05) and skin lesion scores (r = -0.22, P <0.05) (Table 4), which confirmed that the risk of skin damage on carcasses and DFD meat was higher in pigs slaughtered in colder months. Therefore, animals might benefit from additional insulation with appropriate bedding in the transporter and holding pens, which would protect them from cold stress, and ensure thermal comfort (Goumon et al, 2013). In the present research, the pigs slaughtered in summer had the lowest pH 45 value and the highest incidence of PSE meat (P <0.05) (Table 3), as observed by other researchers (Guàrdia et al, 2004, Correa et al, 2013, Čobanović et al, 2016.…”

“…Indeed, a negative association between seasonal temperature and slaughter weight (r = -0.33, P <0.05), hot carcass weight (r = -0.23, P <0.05) and cold carcass weight (r = -0.26, P <0.05) was found in the current study (Table 4), which concur with the results of Piwczyński et al (2013). This could be because pigs fattened in winter consumed more feed and had higher live weight and thicker backfat, compared with those fattened in summer (Hale, 1971), since low environmental temperatures increase the appetite as a reflection of increased metabolic demands (Goumon et al, 2013). Moreover, the pigs reared in summer consumed 3% less feed per day, and grew on average 5% more slowly than pigs reared in winter (Myer & Bucklin, 2007).…”

Factores de riesgo asociados con la presencia de cerdos fatigados durante el transporte y sus implicaciones en el pH muscular alto

“…El número de pisos del camión tuvo efecto sobre la presencia de cerdos fatigados en este estudio, lo que concuerda con estudios previos (Romero et al 2016). El embarque y desembarque de cerdos a través de rampas impone un fuerte esfuerzo físico para los cerdos (Goumon et al, 2013), que se aumenta por la intervención aversiva de los manejadores, lo cual resulta en un mayor esfuerzo físico para los cerdos y el personal (Torrey et al, 2013).…”