Transcript Document

Program 2
Improving herd feed efficiency
Prof Frank Dunshea
Department of Primary Industries Victoria
Program 2
Improving herd feed efficiency
Reduce Herd FCR from 4.2 to 3.6 (and beyond)
Reduce Cost of Production from $2.05 to $1.50
We are proactive
as well as reactive
Profit = (Revenue – COP) x volume
Feed costs
Non-feed costs
Feed costs ($/kg) Feed conversion efficiency
Pig production costs…
15%
Feed
14%
Herd
FCR +
Feed Cost
Shed
60%
4%
Labour
7%
Overhead
Pigstats 2003
Can we get there?…
Measurement of
feed intake
- Reduced feed wastage
Manipulation of
feed intake
- Increased carcase weight
over summer
- Movement to reactive
medication
- Reduced P2 over spring and
autumn
- Overcome post-weaning
growth check
$0.06
$0.04
$0.05
$0.03
$0.05
Can we get there?…
Improved
- Reduced medication costs
$0.02
production
- Improved growth rate (10%)
$0.07
efficiency and
- Improved FCR (0.2 units)
$0.08
mortalities
- Increased lean content (1%)
$0.05
Improved
- Increased lifetime productivity
$0.07
reproductive
- Reduced seasonal infertility
$0.05
performance
- Prediction of time of ovulation
$0.03
Sub Program 2a
Innovative products and strategies for
the measurement of feed intake
Dr Bruce Mullan
Department of Agriculture Western Australia
Why measure feed intake ?
• Nutritional requirements
• Help to explain variability
• An indicator of health problems
• Other …..
Issues
• Individuals vs groups
• Research vs commercial
• Feed disappearance vs feed intake
• Frequency of measurements
• Relationship to other variables
Key components
• Has links to other parts of the CRC
• Obvious relationship with FCE
• Ample technology available
• Has to be practical
• Has to be continuous
Strategy
• A number of proposals submitted
• Many similarities between proposals
• Technical workshop in early 2006
• One major project envisaged
• Associated work to follow
Sub Program 2b
Innovative products and strategies for
the manipulation of feed intake
(Nutrition and gastro intestinal
function)
Assoc. Prof John Pluske
Murdoch University
Possible projects
• Strategies to increase performance
after weaning and ensure improved
whole-of-life performance,
– Risk factors associated with pigs that do not eat
or have reduced intake after weaning
– Weaning age x diet ‘complexity’
• Reducing reliance on the use
antimicrobials in the pig industry,
–
–
–
–
Immunostimulants
Probiotics?
Understanding mode(s) of action
Bacterial-epithelium interactions
Possible projects
• Optimum levels, ratios and sources
of dietary fibre and fat in diets for
pigs, eg,
– Role of feeding different levels/types of fat and
dietary fibre on weaner and G/F performance
– Role of fat type(s), fibre types and enzyme
supplementation on digestibility and rate of
passage
• Protein (amino acid) restriction and
subsequent growth, eg,
– Compensatory growth
– Influence of birth weight
– Effects on immune function
Possible projects
• Nutrition and feed processing to
manipulate the endocrine control of
feed intake before and after weaning
– Stimulation of gastrointestinal hormones (gut-brain axis)
– Influence on gastrointestinal and immune function
– Specific intervention and effects to low birth-weight piglets?
Outcomes
• Increased understanding of factors
(nutritional, gastrointestinal,
behavioural) that influence postweaning performance, specifically
feed intake
• Rational approach to understanding
alternatives to antibiotics,
– Modes of action
– Disease states
• Commercial application of
compensatory growth
Likely projects beyond year 1
• Compounds that influence the efficiency
of gastrointestinal function and increase
feed intake,
–
–
–
–
Enzymes
Hydrolysed products
Probiotics
Organic acids
• Optimising the efficacy of feed additives
and commercial products (not just
product testing)
Sub Program 2c
Alternative therapies, products and/or
strategies to improve pig production
efficiency and reduce mortality of all
growth phases
Dr Bill Hall
Australian Pork Limited
Possible projects
• Eradication of proliferative enteropathy
by vaccination and improved hygiene.
• Detection and typing of Brachyspira
hyodysenteriae to support swine
dysentery eradication.
• Development of a novel APP vaccine.
• Development of a novel Glassers vaccine
Sub Program 2d
Growth performance
enhancement and Reproduction
Mr. Rob Smits
QAF Meat Industries
The Jigsaw of the Pork CRC
More efficient
performance from
sow herd
More efficient
performance from
progeny
Improvement of herd feed
conversion efficiency
Sub program 2d
Commercial Objectives
• Improve the number of pigs
weaned per sow mated.
• Identify and develop technologies
that makes the mating process
simpler and more successful.
• Improve the performance of
progeny through management
practices and nutrition.
Research Objectives
Improved reproductive performance
• Sow longevity – management and
nutrition to keep lean genotypes
breeding longer.
• Investigate sow health to minimise
mortality and improve fertility.
• Role of omega fatty acids in breeding
gilts and sows to improve performance
and longevity.
• Evaluation of protocols to synchronise
oestrus and controlling time of ovulation
to simplify AI
Research Objectives
Advancing knowledge on reproductive
physiology in sows
• Studying causes of embryo survival
through early embryonic development,
oocyte quality and inflammatory
responses.
• Causes of foetal loss and termination of
pregnancy.
• Nutritional/metabolic effects on oestrous
resumption following weaning.
• Post-graduate training to continue
excellence in reproductive physiology
Research Objectives
Seasonal Infertility
• Remains an unsolved production
constraint in Australia
• Research efforts to study seasonal
infertility/heat stress will be renewed
through the Pork CRC.
• Research will look into the mechanisms
involved in seasonal infertility - heat
stress, light regimens, other consistent
seasonal factors on reproductive
physiology in the sow.
• Workshop to direct R&D direction.
Producer input will be valuable.
Research Objectives
Improving growth performance of
progeny
• Management strategies for gilt progeny.
• Omega fatty acid (and other functional
lipid) supplementation during lactation
and post-weaning to improve health and
performance of young pigs.
• Optimise the ractopamine regime to
increase lean tissue and decrease fat
tissue deposition in finisher pigs,
especially males.
Sub-program 2e.
Advanced Reproductive and
Genetic Technologies
Assoc. Prof. Mark Nottle
Dept. Of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
The University of Adelaide
Projects
• Advanced Reproduction
– Commercial development of
advanced reproductive
technologies
•Synchronisation of ovulation
– One shot AI
•Embryo transfer
•Embryo freezing
•Cloning
Embryo transfer
• Commercial development of
embryo transfer
– Address lag in genetic gain in
Australia.
– Transfer of fresh and frozen embryos
Embryo freezing
• Commercial development of
embryo freezing
– Preferred method for shipping
genetics between countries
Embryo freezing –current status
stage
2-4 cell
embryos
transferred/
recipient
39
piglets
born/
recipients
3/1
blastocyst
27-30
123/20
Nagashima
et al 1995
Cameron
et al 2003
Embryo freezing
• R&D
– Vitrification
•Method
•Closed straw
• Outcome
– Commercial method for embryo
freezing
•Import/export
•conservation
Cloning
• Importation of new genetics
– Cells as opposed to embryos
• Conservation of genetics
– Cell bank
• Commercially
– Use of top males (and females ) at
commercial level
– Also reduction in variation
•Fewer sires
Cloning
• Is happening
• FDA about to rule on sale of meat
etc from cloned animals and their
progeny
Cloning
• R&D
– Need to increase efficiency to be
commercial
Cloning
• Outcome
– Commercial method for cloning
•Import/export
•Conservation
•Potential to be ultimate breeding tool
– Use of top sires etc at commercial
level
– Reduction in variation
– Non surgical transfer of frozen
thawed embryos
Advanced Genetics
• Lot happening overseas
• Niche projects
– The genetic basis of associations between
performance traits, finisher feed intake,
voluntary feed intake of sows during lactation
and sow lifetime reproductive performance,
along with piglet performance post weaning
– Development of a selection marker for
placental efficiency
A selection marker for placental
efficiency
• Ratio of fetal to placental weight
• Less placenta more room for fetuses
– eg Meishan
• Highly heritable
– Increase in litter size demonstrated
• Highly variable
• Male and female components
A selection marker for placental
efficiency
• Difficult to select for
– Each piglet and its placenta
weighed
• R&D
– Aim is to develop a selection marker
– Biochemical, molecular or genetic
– Number of candidates
A selection marker for placental
efficiency
• Outcome
– A selection marker for placenta
efficiency
– Increase in liveborn
•Reduction in
– Returns , stillborns, runts
– Increase in birthweight?
We are proactive
as well as reactive
Profit = (Revenue – COP) x volume
Feed costs
Non-feed costs
Feed costs ($/kg) Feed conversion efficiency
Program 2
Improving herd feed efficiency
Request - Please scout for new ideas as we must do
something innovative not more of the same