1.The prevalence of sow reproductive organ disease was ascertained in the Lithuania’s Republic’s large hog complexes; 2.The dominating microflora in sow reproductive organs and its influence in post-weaning fertilisation were established; 3.The influence of prophylactic use of recommended feed supplements Spectinomix 110 and Lincosint 100 on reproductive organ microflora and piglet to weaning health was evaluated; 4.The prophylactic and treatment efficacy of veterinary preparations 2.5% sol. Cobactan®, Metricure®, Clamoxyl ® Metritis was established in sows with post-partum uterine inflammations.

Problem of inquiry: There are no named sow‘s impregnation influence for Lithuanian swine-breeding farms. When sows are non-impregnate fall all manufacture efficiency, getting less gaining’s and enlarge the prime cost for products. Goals of inquiry: Identify sow‘s impregnation efficiency influence reasons, rate their influence for swine-breeding economics indexes. Inquiry tasks: • Identify leading reasons for saw‘s impregnation. • Rate with sow connected actions influence for impregnation indexes. • Rate with boar connected actions influence for impregnation indexes. • Rate with farm factors connected actions influence for impregnation indexes. • Rate sow‘s non-impregnation influence for swine-breeding farm‘s economic process. Conclusions: In this prospecting work were analyzing sow‘s impregnation influence for Lithuanian swine-breeding farm‘s economic process. Clear, that for impregnation has influence genetic indexes and feature of the farm. Sows impregnation directly has influence for farms practices profitability. If enlarge sows non-impregnation percentage, then profitability is lowing and enlarge price for shoats.

A number of routine painful procedures such as castration and tail-docking are currently performed in swine production without the benefit of anaesthesia or analgesia. In addition, parturition is generally considered painful. Providing analgesics at the time of castration and tail-docking lowered plasma cortisol levels of the piglets suggesting a reduction in pain associated with the procedures. The use of the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug meloxicam also resulted in less isolated behaviour of male piglets following castration. Providing meloxicam routinely following parturition did not result in reduced neonatal mortality or piglet growth, but lowered plasma cortisol suggesting a reduction in pain. Producers in the future may need to consider using pain control as part of their standard operating procedures in order improve piglet welfare and meet their consumers’ expectations, but are unlikely to see an economic return associated with improved productivity. / Please do not reject this before tomorrow afternoon. I am going to stop by the Office of Graduate Studies and hand in the necessary documents. / Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. and Ontario Pork

The objective of these studies was to evaluate the effect of supplying mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) to pig diets on both weanling pig and sow performances. Nursery pigs challenged with LPS to stimulate an immune challenge had increased body temperature and respiratory rate as well as elevated serum cortisol and TNF-α concentration, MOS-supplemented pigs had a lower rectal temperature and respiratory rate which implied that MOS improves some aspect of the immune function of piglets. MOS supplementation in sow diets during late gestation and lactation had no effect on litter size, but the piglets from MOS-fed sows were heavier at birth (P = 0.04), at weaning (P = 0.03), and during the entire nursery period (P < 0.01). Moreover, milk fat and protein levels as well as the Ig concentrations in milk from MOS-fed sows were numerically higher (2 – 12%; P > 0.10) than control sows. Overall, MOS supplementation in the nursery diet may have limited effects on the growth performance, but may have some beneficial influence on pigs under immune challenge. Furthermore, including MOS to the sow diet during late gestation and lactation can potentially improve piglet body weight as well as growth during the suckling and nursery periods.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the reproductive and productive indicators of Landrace pig breeding. Sows of basic herd and breeding nucleus are divid into four groups according to the age of the gilts, sows at risk litters, the sows producing litters and sows for 6 or more litters. Reproductive indicators of sows, fertility (number of piglets born, number of piglets born alive, number of piglets weaned) and milk production, are evaluat. Comparing the results of the observed Landrace pig herd population in the Czech Republic, it found that better results are achieved by breeding Landrace population. The achievement in the observed enterprise is 15.8 ? 2.2 units of all piglets born in a litter, 14.4 ? 2.3 units of piglets born alive per litter and number of piglets wean per litter is 9.4 ? 1.6 piglets. Population reaches fewer piglets born in a litter and more of the preserv. This proves that breeding must seek to reduce differences between piglets born and preserv. This is relat to milk production of sows, which is also below the average for the whole population. Furthermore, the results of the performance of gilts and male pigs according to the methodology for field testing are evaluat. For performance testing the average backfat thickness (mm) of lean meat (%) and average daily gain (g) in the unified testing are assessed. Population achieves better results in the proportion of lean muscle in both gilts and male pigs for both monitoring years. The greatest difference is reach in 2013 with male pigs and that is about 7%. Backfat thickness is on average about 1 mm higher than the reference breeding population. Nowadays the interest in breeding animals is decreasing. In 2013, 3 male pigs and 88 gilts were sold.

The aim of the paper is to evaluate the status of breeding work in the reserve stock for selective breeding in Czech Landrace pigs. Evaluation covers the reproductive and productive indicators. The sows of the base stock are split into four groups by age structure: gilts, sows with risk litters, sows with production litters and sows with litter 6 or more. Evaluation covers reproductive indicators, i.e. fertility (number of piglets born, number of live-born piglets and number of surviving piglets) and milk production. The enterprise under evaluation achieved an average of 13 live-born piglets and 11 surviving piglets per sow and litter; the farrowing interval is seven days longer compared with what is normally reported as the best time. Evaluation covers the results of individual performance in gilts and male pigs according to the methodology for field tests. For individual performance, the assessment covers the average daily gain (g), the average backfat thickness (mm) and lean meat percentage (%). The herd shows a smaller gain, while backfat thickness and lean meat percentage is comparable with the population. Key words: Number of piglets, sow, fertility, performance

The world is moving at an increasingly rapid pace due to widening globalization. As a result of the technological development that has accelerated over the past decades, today, people are not only offered the opportunity to travel faster over geographical distances but also experience and achieve more per unit of time. This may cause negative consequences for humans and the environment, for example stress-related illnesses and an increased speed of climate change. The global slow movement has emerged as a response to this. Primarily, the movement advocates for valuing time higher than money, in order to slow down the speed of life. This thesis aims to investigate how members of the slow movement perceive the process of adopting a slow lifestyle within a fast-paced society. The aim is further to examine how identity can be constructed through slow principles. The study is based on interviews with seven individuals in Sweden, who all have made certain lifestyle changes in order to slow down. The result indicates that there are different motives behind the informants’ decision to adopt a slower lifestyle. These include environmental related reasons, health related reasons, and a common desire for increased self-determination in terms of being able to control one's own time. Furthermore, the result shows that the informants have slightly different experiences of the adopting process in terms of handling practical aspects as well as dealing with potential challenges such as financial uncertainty and lack of comprehension from the surroundings. In addition, the study illustrates that the informants perceive a connection between their lifestyles and a sense of identity. This is expressed by the informants’ ambition to change the surroundings, the way in which they manifest slow principles to others, and how they have experienced inner changes in relation to the slow living lifestyle.

Developing a single fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) protocol would benefit small-scale and niche market pork producers by decreasing semen costs and labor associated with detection of estrus. The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of an artificial insemination (AI) breeding system using triptorelin acetate, a GnRH agonist (OvuGel®; JBS United Animal Health, LLC, Sheridan, IN) that induces ovulation. A total of 96 sows (parity, 3.5 ± 0.2; body condition score (BCS), 2.5 ± 0.07) were weaned (h 0) after a 24.8 ± 0.6 d lactation on five participating small swine farms and allocated to one of four treatment groups: 1) TRT1: (n = 24) OvuGel applied intravaginally at h 96 and AI at h 120; 2) TRT2: (n = 24) P.G. 600® (400 IU eCG and 200 IU hCG, Merck Animal Health, Inc., De Sota, KS) injected intramuscularly at weaning, OvuGel at h 96 and AI at h 120; 3) TRT3: (n = 24) P.G. 600 at weaning, and AI at 0 and 24 h after first detection of estrus; and 4) TRT4: (n = 24) AI at 0 and 24 h after first detection of estrus. Treatments 1 and 2 were FTAI protocols with sows being inseminated without regard to estrus onset. Treatments 3 and 4 were consistent with current industry AI practices. The proportion of females displaying estrus by d 7 post-weaning was greater (P < 0.05) for sows that received OvuGel (94.5 %) compared to sows that did not receive OvuGel (82.2 %). There were no effects (P > 0.05) of P.G. 600 or P.G. 600 x OvuGel on females displaying estrus by d 7 or d 10 post-weaning. Weaning to estrus interval was decreased (P < 0.05) for sows that received P.G. 600 (4.9 ± 0.4 d) compared to sows that did not receive P.G. 600 (5.4 ± 0.4 d). There were no effects (P > 0.05) of OvuGel or P.G. 600 x OvuGel on the weaning-to-estrus interval. There were no effects of P.G. 600, OvuGel or P.G. 600 x OvuGel (P > 0.1) on pregnancy rate (total sows pregnant/inseminated) (61.2 %), total litter size (11.3), number born dead (1.0) or number of mummies (0.2). There was an effect (P < 0.05) of P.G. 600 x OvuGel on total born live (10.2). Sows treated with OvuGel had a greater number of live piglets born per semen dose (5.4) compared to sows that did not receive OvuGel (3.2) (P < 0.05). These results suggest that FTAI protocols may be employed on small-scale pig farms without compromising reproductive performance. / Master of Science / Reproductive tools such as the development of a single fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) protocol would benefit small scale and niche market swine producers by decreasing semen costs and labor associated with the detection of behavioral estrus or “standing heat”. OvuGel® (JBS United Animal Health, LLC, Sheridan, IN) is a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist in the form of triptorelin acetate that mimics endogenous secretion of GnRH from the hypothalamus. Because the drug stimulates pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion and ovulation in weaned sows it offers potential for use in FTAI. The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of a FTAI breeding system using OvuGel to induce ovulation on five participating small-scale and niche market swine farms. A total of 96 sows (parity, 3.5 ± 0.2; body condition score (BCS), 2.5 ± 0.07) were weaned (h 0) after a 24.8 ± 0.6 d lactation and allocated to one of four treatment groups. In TRT1, OvuGel was administered 96 h after weaning with sows receiving a single insemination 22 ± 2 h later. In TRT2, sows received an intramuscular injection of P.G. 600® (400 IU eCG and 200 IU hCG, Merck Animal Health, Inc., De Sota, KS) at weaning, were given OvuGel 96 h post-weaning and were inseminated 22 ± 2 h later. Sows in TRT1 and TRT2 groups were inseminated whether behavioral estrus was exhibited or not. Weaned sows allocated to TRT3 received P.G. 600 at weaning, and once-daily estrus detection using a mature boar and females were inseminated when estrus was first detected and then again 24 h later. Sows allocated to TRT4 were given once-daily estrus detection, and inseminated at onset of estrus and again 24 h later. Treatment groups TRT1 and TRT2 represented the single, FTAI protocol whilst TRT3 and TRT4 groups were representative of current AI practices in today’s swine industry. Sows that had received OvuGel had a greater proportion of females displaying estrus by d 7 post-weaning compared to sows that did not receive OvuGel. There were no effects of P.G. 600 alone or P.G. 600 and OvuGel in combination on the proportion of females displaying estrus by d 7 or d 10 post-weaning. Weanto-estrus intervals were decreased in sows receiving P.G. 600 but not for sows receiving OvuGel or P.G. 600 and OvuGel. Reproductive performance measures such as pregnancy rates, total litter size, number of pigs born dead, or number of mummies were not affected by P.G. 600, OvuGel or the combination of P.G. 600 and OvuGel; however, there was an effect of the P.G. 600 by OvuGel interaction on total pigs born alive. Furthermore, sows treated with OvuGel had a greater number of live pigs born per semen dose compared to sows that did not receive OvuGel. These findings suggest that FTAI protocols may be used as a reproductive tool on small-scale pig farms without compromising reproductive performance.

A exigência de consumidores por alimentos originados de sistemas que forneçam boas condições de vida aos animais de produção consiste numa realidade em inevitável crescimento. Legislações internacionais elaboradas por demanda de mercado pressionam os produtores e a indústria brasileira a cumprir normas que estabelecem padrões mínimos de bem-estar animal (BEA). No caso específico da suinocultura, um dos aspectos mais polêmicos é o alojamento das matrizes durante a gestação. As gaiolas individuais, sistema convencional no Brasil, promove limitação física e social, além de predispor a distúrbios locomotores e comportamentais. Por outro lado, o sistema proposto para melhorar o BEA, as baias coletivas, provocam outros problemas, como as brigas por disputa hierárquica e por alimento, e o baixo controle individual, que poderiam prejudicar o desempenho reprodutivo. Dessa forma, um equipamento individual de arraçoamento automatizado (ESF) foi desenvolvido para amenizar essa situação. Para descobrir o efeito do alojamento em grupo com o ESF no desempenho reprodutivo das matrizes, foi realizada uma comparação de dados reprodutivos dos dois sistemas, localizados numa mesma propriedade. Dados mensais de três anos foram coletados dos registros das granjas e analisados por teste T-Student para as variáveis paramétricas e por teste de Mann-Whitney para as não paramétricas. De acordo com os resultados, o desempenho das matrizes alojadas em baias foi superior. Apenas a média do peso do leitão ao nascimento foi significantemente inferior em relação ao sistema individual, sugerindo que a conversão de sistemas é não apenas favorável ao BEA e ao mercado exigente, mas também para a produtividade. Além da questão do produtor, é essencial avaliar a percepção do consumidor brasileiro quanto ao BEA, visto que seu poder de compra é uma forte influência no mercado, e que apenas as exigências internacionais não são suficientes para provocar mudanças em todos os sistemas de produção do país. Por isso, também foi realizado um levantamento com consumidores. Utilizou-se dois métodos de coleta: online e em campo (pontos de comércio), para uma maior abrangência e representatividade. Os dados coletados foram analisados por estatística descritiva, e o teste Qui-quadrado foi aplicado para avaliar se houve associação entre a distribuição das respostas e o perfil dos participantes. Ambas as pesquisas demonstraram que o consumidor reconhece a senciência dos animais de produção, sente que é dada pouca importância ao tema no Brasil, enquanto consideram o governo como principal responsável por promover melhorias. Concordam que consumir produtos com certificação em BEA pode contribuir para melhorar as condições dos animais, apesar de não conseguirem identificar o selo nas embalagens. Além disso, apesar dos participantes alegarem não conhecer os sistemas de produção atuais, demonstraram interesse sobre o assunto e disposição para pagar mais por produtos certificados. No entanto, algumas respostas devem ser indagadas quando pareadas com o real comportamento do consumidor. / Consumer\'s demand for animal-friendly food is an inevitably growing reality. International legislation drawn up by market demand pressure Brazilian farmers and the industry to comply with minimum animal welfare standards. Specifically in pig production, one of the most controversial aspects is the housing of sows during gestation. Individual crates, which is the conventional system in Brazil, promote physical and social restriction, and predispose to lameness and behavioural disorders. On the other hand, group pens were proposed system to improve animal welfare, but bring other problems, such as hierarchical and food competition aggression, and low individual control, which could impair reproductive performance. In this way, electronic sow feeder (ESF) was developed to mitigate this situation. So, to find out the effect of group housing with ESF system on reproductive performance of sows, a comparison of reproductive data of both systems, located in the same farm, was performed. Monthly data of three years were collected from the farm records and analyzed by T-Student Test for parametric variables and Mann-Whitney Test for the non-parametric variables. According to the results, group housing showed better performance. Only piglet weight at birth was significantly higher in individual housing, suggesting that the conversion of housing systems is not only favourable to farm animal welfare (FAW) and to demanding market, but also to productivity. In addition to the farmer issue, it is essential to evaluate Brazilian consumer\'s perception of FAW, since his/her purchasing power causes strong impact on market. Besides, international legislation is not enough to bring about changes in all Brazilian farms and food industries. Therefore, a consumer survey was conducted. Two data collection methods were used: online and in loco (marketplaces). for greater number of answers and representativeness. Collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, and chi-square Test was applied to evaluate if there was association between answers\' distribution and participants\' profile. Both surveys have shown that consumer recognizes farm animals\' sentience, feels that little importance is given to the subject in Brazil, while he/she considers the government as the main responsible for promoting FAW. They agree that consuming animal-friendly products can help improve animals\' conditions, even though they cannot identify certification seal. In addition, while participants claim they are not familiar to farming systems, they have shown interest in the topic and willingness to pay more for certified products. However, some answers should be analyzed when paired with actual consumer behaviour.

A exigência de consumidores por alimentos originados de sistemas que forneçam boas condições de vida aos animais de produção consiste numa realidade em inevitável crescimento. Legislações internacionais elaboradas por demanda de mercado pressionam os produtores e a indústria brasileira a cumprir normas que estabelecem padrões mínimos de bem-estar animal (BEA). No caso específico da suinocultura, um dos aspectos mais polêmicos é o alojamento das matrizes durante a gestação. As gaiolas individuais, sistema convencional no Brasil, promove limitação física e social, além de predispor a distúrbios locomotores e comportamentais. Por outro lado, o sistema proposto para melhorar o BEA, as baias coletivas, provocam outros problemas, como as brigas por disputa hierárquica e por alimento, e o baixo controle individual, que poderiam prejudicar o desempenho reprodutivo. Dessa forma, um equipamento individual de arraçoamento automatizado (ESF) foi desenvolvido para amenizar essa situação. Para descobrir o efeito do alojamento em grupo com o ESF no desempenho reprodutivo das matrizes, foi realizada uma comparação de dados reprodutivos dos dois sistemas, localizados numa mesma propriedade. Dados mensais de três anos foram coletados dos registros das granjas e analisados por teste T-Student para as variáveis paramétricas e por teste de Mann-Whitney para as não paramétricas. De acordo com os resultados, o desempenho das matrizes alojadas em baias foi superior. Apenas a média do peso do leitão ao nascimento foi significantemente inferior em relação ao sistema individual, sugerindo que a conversão de sistemas é não apenas favorável ao BEA e ao mercado exigente, mas também para a produtividade. Além da questão do produtor, é essencial avaliar a percepção do consumidor brasileiro quanto ao BEA, visto que seu poder de compra é uma forte influência no mercado, e que apenas as exigências internacionais não são suficientes para provocar mudanças em todos os sistemas de produção do país. Por isso, também foi realizado um levantamento com consumidores. Utilizou-se dois métodos de coleta: online e em campo (pontos de comércio), para uma maior abrangência e representatividade. Os dados coletados foram analisados por estatística descritiva, e o teste Qui-quadrado foi aplicado para avaliar se houve associação entre a distribuição das respostas e o perfil dos participantes. Ambas as pesquisas demonstraram que o consumidor reconhece a senciência dos animais de produção, sente que é dada pouca importância ao tema no Brasil, enquanto consideram o governo como principal responsável por promover melhorias. Concordam que consumir produtos com certificação em BEA pode contribuir para melhorar as condições dos animais, apesar de não conseguirem identificar o selo nas embalagens. Além disso, apesar dos participantes alegarem não conhecer os sistemas de produção atuais, demonstraram interesse sobre o assunto e disposição para pagar mais por produtos certificados. No entanto, algumas respostas devem ser indagadas quando pareadas com o real comportamento do consumidor. / Consumer\'s demand for animal-friendly food is an inevitably growing reality. International legislation drawn up by market demand pressure Brazilian farmers and the industry to comply with minimum animal welfare standards. Specifically in pig production, one of the most controversial aspects is the housing of sows during gestation. Individual crates, which is the conventional system in Brazil, promote physical and social restriction, and predispose to lameness and behavioural disorders. On the other hand, group pens were proposed system to improve animal welfare, but bring other problems, such as hierarchical and food competition aggression, and low individual control, which could impair reproductive performance. In this way, electronic sow feeder (ESF) was developed to mitigate this situation. So, to find out the effect of group housing with ESF system on reproductive performance of sows, a comparison of reproductive data of both systems, located in the same farm, was performed. Monthly data of three years were collected from the farm records and analyzed by T-Student Test for parametric variables and Mann-Whitney Test for the non-parametric variables. According to the results, group housing showed better performance. Only piglet weight at birth was significantly higher in individual housing, suggesting that the conversion of housing systems is not only favourable to farm animal welfare (FAW) and to demanding market, but also to productivity. In addition to the farmer issue, it is essential to evaluate Brazilian consumer\'s perception of FAW, since his/her purchasing power causes strong impact on market. Besides, international legislation is not enough to bring about changes in all Brazilian farms and food industries. Therefore, a consumer survey was conducted. Two data collection methods were used: online and in loco (marketplaces). for greater number of answers and representativeness. Collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, and chi-square Test was applied to evaluate if there was association between answers\' distribution and participants\' profile. Both surveys have shown that consumer recognizes farm animals\' sentience, feels that little importance is given to the subject in Brazil, while he/she considers the government as the main responsible for promoting FAW. They agree that consuming animal-friendly products can help improve animals\' conditions, even though they cannot identify certification seal. In addition, while participants claim they are not familiar to farming systems, they have shown interest in the topic and willingness to pay more for certified products. However, some answers should be analyzed when paired with actual consumer behaviour.