Ammonia and greenhouse gas emission from group-housed gestating sows depends on floor type

Gaseous emissions from weaned pigs raised on different floor systems

Comparison of ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions during the fattening of pigs, kept either on fully slatted floor or on deep litter

The objective of this study was to comparatively analyse the physical parameters, basic chemical composition and the macro- and microelement content of offal obtained from fattening pigs raised in deep litter and slatted floor housing systems. The experiment involved a group of 80 Puławska fatteners, including 40 pigs kept in deep-litter pens (group I) and 40 pigs in slatted pens without bedding (group II). Offal (tongues, kidneys, hearts, lungs and livers) was evaluated for weight, physical characteristics (pH45, pH24, WHC), chemical composition (water, protein, fat) and the content of minerals: macro- (K, Na, Mg, Ca) and microelements (Zn, Fe, Mn, Cu). Based on the results obtained, associations were found between housing system and basic chemical composition of some offal, i.e. percentage of water (slatted floor<deep litter) and protein (slatted floor>deep litter) in lungs, content of protein (slatted floor>deep litter) and fat (slatted floor<deep litter) in liver, and content of fat in heart (slatted floor<deep litter). The amount of macro- and microelements was significantly differentiated by the housing system with regard to the kidneys: potassium, magnesium, calcium and manganese (slatted floor<deep litter), sodium (slatted floor>deep litter); lungs: sodium (slatted floor>deep litter), potassium (slatted floor<deep litter); and liver: iron (slatted floor>deep litter) and copper (slatted floor<deep litter). In general, the housing system of fattening pigs modified the physical parameters and chemical composition of the analysed offal.

Ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions during the fattening of pigs kept on two types of straw floor

Influence of permanent use of feeding stalls as living area on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions for group-housed gestating sows kept on straw deep-litter

Influence of floor type in the walking area of cubicle housing systems on the behaviour of dairy cows

Influence of floor surface and access to pasture on claw health in dairy cows kept in cubicle housing systems

Effects of available surface on gaseous emissions from group-housed gestating sows kept on deep litter

Gaseous emissions from group-housed gestating sows kept on deep litter and offered an ad libitum high-fibre diet

Simple SummaryIn the European Union, gestating sows are housed in groups in pens that often have slatted floors. Slatted floor can cause injuries to the animals’ legs and hooves, leading to potentially painful lameness. The purpose of our study was to verify if the installation of rubber mats on their floors could limit the occurrence of injuries and lameness in gestating sows. Mats were installed on three commercial farms for use over two consecutive sow pregnancies. The mats limited the occurrence of inflammations around the sows’ leg joints but had no impact on the occurrence of lameness or leg and hoof injuries. The benefit of mats would be greater if they were available throughout the sows’ lives and not just during the gestation period. However, the mat design tested was unsatisfactory because manure did not drain well off the mat and sows were dirtied quickly.Lameness and foot disorders are major health and welfare issues in intensive swine production systems. They are exacerbated when sows are housed in large groups on slatted concrete floors during gestation. Our study aimed to assess the effect of rubber mats in the lying area of the gestation pen on lameness and leg health in gestating sows housed in large pens in commercial conditions. The study was conducted on three commercial farms over two successive gestations. A total of 582 Large White × Landrace sows, housed in 10 static groups, were enrolled: 5 groups in pens with rubber mats and 5 groups on slatted concrete floors. Lameness, bursitis, leg injuries, claw growth defects and claw lesions were measured at the beginning, middle and end of each gestation period. The rubber mats decreased the risk of suffering from bursitis, but had no effect on the risk of lameness, leg injuries, claw growth defects or claw lesions. Sows housed on rubber mats were heavily soiled compared with those on slatted concrete floors because the mats were not perforated for slurry evacuation. Locomotion disorders and foot lesions remained prevalent despite the rubber mats in the lying area of the gestation pens, but adding rubber mats in service rooms and farrowing crates may produce better results.

Effect of Type of Slatted Floor and Degree of Fouling of Solid Floor on Ammonia Emission Rates from Fattening Piggeries

Assessment of welfare of finishing beef cattle kept on different types of floor after short- or long-term housing

Litter quality and fast growth rate are the two main issues in broiler welfare. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of genotype and floor material on broiler welfare and behaviour. In the study, slow-growing (Hubbard JA57) and fast-growing (Ross 308) broilers on a slatted floor and deep litter were used; there were four main groups (2 genotype 2 housing) and each treatment group consisted of 5 replicates. Each replicate group consisted of 10 male chicks, and 200 birds were used in total. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. The welfare parameters were recorded in weeks 6, 7, and 8, whereas behaviour data were collected in week 8 only. Results showed that welfare parameters of broiler chickens were affected by genotype and floor type. Slow-growing broilers had better welfare parameters than fast-growing broilers. The slatted floor had a positive effect on main welfare parameters of the birds. Slower-growing broilers had a longer distance in the avoidance distance test. Tonic immobility reaction was longer in slow-growing broilers compared to fast-growing broiler. On the other hand, floor type did not affect behaviour parameters. As a conclusion, slow-growing broilers had better welfare parameters than fast-growing broilers and slat flooring could be beneficial to improve broiler welfare, but further behavioural investigations are needed such as dust bathing and walking behaviour.

Ninety-six pregnant sows, previously penned in individual stalls, were housed in groups of four in pens containing three zones: a) four individual feeding stalls without rear gates, b) a communal sleeping kennel and c) a dunging area between the stalls and kennel. The feeding stalls were either long (2m) or short (1m) with barriers made of wire mesh. The daily allowance of 2.5kg pelleted feed per sow was presented either all at once (dump) or at the rate of approximately 100g/min by a manual system (trickle). Dung disposal systems were either a pit füled with sawdust-based compost, a slatted floor, or straw on a sloped concrete floor. There were two replicates of the 2×2×3 factorial design. The location of sows was observed from time-lapse video recordings taken at regular intervals throughout the 31 day experimental period.Use of the three zones of the pens was influenced by feeding method, barrier length and dung disposal system. Overall the feeding stalls were used more with trickle than with dump feeding (P<0.05); more with long than with short barriers (P<0.001), and most with slatted floors and least with the straw system (P<0.001). AU these treatments had the opposite effects on the use of the communal kennel The use of the dunging area was not affected by feeding method or stall length but was greater (P<0.01) on the compost compared with the other two dung disposal systems. Throughout the experimental period the use of feeding stalls decreased (P<0.001). Orcadian use of the pen zones interacted with barrier length and dung disposal system. Kennels were used most at night in pens with straw, exceeding 54minlh with half length (1m) stalls. The lowest night-time use of kennels, around 8min/h, was found in pens with full length (2m) stalls combined with either compost or slats. Ambient temperature did not have a major influence on use of pen zones.The occupation of stalls, especially full length stalls, indicates that offering a choice between solitary and communal areas may improve the welfare of group-housed sows.

To prove the meaningfulness of design criteria in relation to the mortality of fattening bulls a cohort analysis was carried out on 50 farms with housing systems with completely slatted floor, deep litter or two area straw yard system. The design criteria of space allowance, feeding space, pen depth and quality of the floor were integrated into a TGI-40 protocol and related to the incidence of early losses. Additionally, claws of the bulls were collected after slaughtering and examined for pathological information. Slatted floor pens were characterised by a low space allowance and a low pen depth. The dimensions of pens with deep litter and two area straw yard were clearly greater but showed a wide and overlapping variation in the different design criteria. The claws of animals from deep litter and two area straw yard were in a worse condition than the claws of animals from completely slatted floors. Early and total animal losses were greater in pens with slatted floors than in litter systems. Taking all the farms into account, it could be seen that the incidence of early losses was negatively correlated with space allowance (r = -0.31; P < 0.01 ) and quality of the floor (r = -0.27; P < 0.05 ). The integration of different design criteria into a TGI-40 protocol did not improve their meaningfulness in relation to early losses. The results indicate that the meaningfulness of design criteria in relation to early losses of fattening losses is low.