• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1656-1660
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• 2003

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fermented fruits (FF) on the growth performance, Enterobacteriaceae and Lactobacillus counts in faeces of the post-weaning piglets. A total of twenty-four 4 weeks old Landrace${\times}$ Large White${\times}$Duroc with initial body weight of 6 kg were used in this study. The piglets were housed individually in metabolic cage and randomly assigned to four groups with six piglets per group. The piglets were fed on basal diet without antibiotic (AF), basal diets with antibiotic (Ab), basal diet with 10% (w/w) fermented fruit (10% FF) and basal diet with 20% (w/w) fermented fruit (20% FF). Faecal samples were taken directly from the rectum of each piglet and cultured for Enterobacteriaceae and Lactobacillus counts. In the growth performance, the piglets of Ab and 10%FF had significantly higher (p<0.05) average daily gain than those of 20%FF. However, no differences (p>0.05) were observed between AF, Ab and 10%FF. Studies showed that the use of fermented fruits (FF) could significantly (p<0.05) reduce Enterobacteriaceae population in piglets' faeces compared to the use of normal feed (AF) and antibiotic (Ab). However, the Lactobacillus population in the faeces was increased in those piglets fed with diets added with FF.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1328-1333
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• 2009

To evaluate different housing systems, 80 gilts were randomly allocated at puberty to four treatments: i) sow stall in gestation followed by farrowing crate (SC), ii) group housing with individual feeding in gestation followed by farrowing crate (GC), iii) ESF (Electronic Sow Feeding) system in gestation followed by farrowing crate (EC), and iv) ESF system followed by group farrowing pen (EG). The results showed that stalled sows had a longer interval between puberty and second estrus (p<0.001). The sows kept in the ESF system gained more body weight (p<0.01) and backfat (p<0.05) prior to service, and more backfat during gestation (p<0.05), but also had greater backfat losses in the subsequent lactation (p<0.01). Sows changing from loose housing to confinement at farrowing had longer gestation length (p<0.001). Total litter size did not differ significantly between gestation treatments, but the number of stillborn piglets was significantly higher in the SC treatment (p<0.01). After weaning, SC sows had the longest interval for rebreeding (p<0.001). Some EG sows came into heat before weaning, giving this treatment the shortest interval. These results indicate that gestation confinement in sow stalls had several detrimental effects on sow performance relative to group housing.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.75-79
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• 2005

There were three trials involved in this experiment. All piglets in Trial 1 were randomly distributed into the following 4 treatments. Treatment 1. Corn-soybean diet with 5% SDPP. The tryptophan level was 0.237%. Treatment 2. Corn-soybean diet with 10% meat and bone meal. The tryptophan level was 0.177%. Treatment 3. Treatment 1+0.0662% synthetic tryptophan. The total tryptophan level was 0.303. Treatment 4. Treatment 2+0.0662% synthetic tryptophan. The total tryptophan level was 0.236. Piglets in Trial 2 were distributed randomly into the following 4 treatments. Treatment 1: corn-soybean diet+10% meat and bone meal. The total tryptophan level was 0.176%. Treatment 2: corn-soybean diet+10% meat and bone meal+5% SDPP. The total tryptophan level was 0.180%. Treatment 3: Treatment 1 diet+0.004% synthetic tryptophan. The total tryptophan level was 0.180%. Treatment 4: Treatment 1 diet+0.631% synthetic tryptophan. The total tryptophan level was 0.237%. There were 4 treatments in Trial 3. Treatment 1: cornsoybean diet+10% meat and bone meal. The total tryptophan level was 0.176%. Treatment 2: Treatment 1 diet+0.061% synthetic tryptophan. The total tryptophan level was 0.237%. Treatment 3: Treatment 2 diet+0.061% synthetic tryptophan. The total tryptophan level was 0.298%. Treatment 4: corn-soybean diet+10% meat and bone meal+5% SDPP. The total tryptophan level was 0.180%. The results of Trial 1 showed that the piglets ate significantly more (p<0.05) when feed included SDPP in the diet during the first 2 weeks. The feed intake also increased when synthetic tryptophan was added in the 5% meat and bone meal diet; however, the difference did not reach a significant level (p>0.05) during the first 2 weeks. Three weeks onwards the feed intake of 5% meat and bone meal treatment was significantly lower (p<0.05) than for the other three treatments. The results of Trial 2 showed that the feed intake could be significantly improved only when the total tryptophan level reached 0.237%. Piglets in the 5% SDPP treatment had higher feed intake than piglets in 10% meat and bone meal treatment with 0.180% of tryptophan, but did not reach a significant level (p<0.05). Body weight gain also had the same trend as feed intake. The pigs in Treatment 1, the lowest total level of tryptophan treatment (0.176%), had lowest feed intake and weight gain, but the difference did not reach a significant level (p>0.05). The pigs in Treatment 1 of Trial 3 had the lowest feed intake and weight gain (p>0.05). Treatment 2 (0.237%) had the highest average feed intake from Week 1 to Week 5; the second best result was recorded in Treatment 4. As for the weight gain of the piglets in Treatment 4 (5% SDPP), they had a higher average weight during the first 3 weeks. The feed efficiency was better for Treatment 4 (5% SDPP) during the first 2 weeks. The results of these trials showed that both SDPP and tryptophan had a trend to improve the feed intake and weight gain.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.1224-1232
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• 2020

Objective: The QingYu pig is well known for its excellent meat quality attributes in Sichuan province, China. In order to improve its production efficiency, the determination of genetic factors contributing to quantifiable economic traits of livestock is important. Moreover, the cross-breeding of QingYu pigs with western breeds possessing strong growth attributes is an efficient way to improve the performance of this breed. Methods: Here, the genetic parameters of several important reproductive traits of QingYu pigs were estimated, include total number born (TNB), number born alive, litter birth weight, individual birth weight, number of piglets weaned, litter weaning weight, and individual weaning weight. The data was analyzed using the ASReml 3.0 software (NSW Inc., Sydney, Australia). Furthermore, the effects of crossing Berkshire with QingYu (BQ) pigs on carcass and meat quality traits, as well as the effects of slaughter weight on carcass and meat quality of BQ were characterized. Results: QingYu pigs exhibited superior reproductive traits. The TNB available to QingYu pigs was more than 8 per parity. The observed repeatability of the reproductive traits of the QingYu pigs was between 0.10 and 0.23. The significantly correlated genetic and phenotypic of reproduction traits were consistent. Interestingly, the BQ pigs exhibited improved carcass quality, with a significant increase in loin muscle area, lean percentage and reduction in sebum percentage. As a result, BQ had higher L_45min, lower cooking scores, and lower drip loss. In addition, the loin muscle area, body length, and sebum percentage were significantly higher in 90 and 100 kg animals. Cooking loss showed a significant increase at 80 kg, and marbling increased significantly from 90 kg. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that QingYu pigs exhibit excellent reproductive properties and heritability of these traits. Crossing with Berkshire is an efficient strategy to improve the carcass and meat quality of QingYu pigs for commercial operations. Furthermore, it appears as though the optimal slaughter weight of BQ pigs is at approximately 90 kg.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.794-801
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• 2016

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementation Oreganum aetheroleum essential oil on reproductive performance in sows and growth performance of their offspring of weaning pig. 12 sows ($Landrace{\times}Yorkshire$) were randomly assigned within parities to 1 of 3 dietary treatments to give 4 replicates per treatment. Dietary treatments were as follows: 1) CON (basal diet) 2) ANT (basal diet + Efrotomycin 0.08%) and 3) ORE (basal diet + Oreganum aetheroleum essential oil 0.05%), EXP. 1, diets were fed from d 107 of gestation to weanling. EXP. 2, diets were fed from after weaning to 3 weeks. In the Exp.1, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in sow's average parity, sow backfat thickness, the number of piglets, feed intake of sows, the average of piglet weight, and piglet survival ratio between CON, ANT, and ORE treatments. Besides, in the Exp. 2, the inclusion of efrotomycin and Oreganum aetheroleum essential oil in the diets significantly (p < 0.05) increased final body weight, ADG, ADFI, and G/F in weanling pigs. In addition, weanling pigs fed ANT and ORE diets led to decrease the number of weanling pigs with diarrhea as well as fecal score. In conclusion, supplementation of efrotomycin and Oreganum aetheroleum essential oil enhanced growth performance, and decreased the number of weanling pigs with diarrhea and fecal score. However, no significant effect on grow performance was observed in sow and piglet.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.243-252
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• 1983

This study was undertaken to invesigate the effect of early nutritional deprivation and environment on neurotransmitter concentrations and behavior in later life. The restoring process of rats fed foods ad libitum after 50% restriction of the casein or the Korean diet during the prenatal and/or the lactating periods was observed. There were two rearing conditions, isolated and enriched, after weaning. Behavioral development was measured by the Y- shaped water maze and the open field test. The neurotransmitters were analyzed after sacrifice at the age of 21 weeks. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The body weight impairment by dietary restriction during the prenatal and lactating periods could be restored within 18 weeks after weaning in case of living in a classical cage. The effect of quantitative restriction was bigger in the Korean diet than in the casein diet. 2) The brain weight was decreased by nutritional deprivation. Environmental enrichment increased it slightly. 3) The concentration of neurotransmitters, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, were not shown any traces of the dietary restriction at the age of 21 weeks. 4) In the maze test, the deprived rats made more errors than the nourished and the rats fed the Korean diet more than those fed the cascin dict. The environmental enrichment could decrease the number of errors. 5) In the open field test, the dietary deprived groups showed less reaction time, more squares entered in the field, and less number of fecal boli than the nourished among the environmentally isolated rats. However, rats living in the enriched cage without experience of nutritional stress showed the lowest emotionality and the elevated exploratory activity.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.231-235
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• 2015

This study was performed to investigate the change of the body surface temperature during socialization of weaning pigs. A total of 108 piglets (Landrace 60 and Yorkshire 48) aged 31 (${\pm}1.1$) day was used for this study. Experiment was designed as follows; familiar group (T1), randomly mixed with unfamiliar piglets (T2), mixed based on weight of unfamiliar piglet (T3). The transport and mixing of pigs were performed at 10:00, and then body surface temperature was taken by thermo-graphic camera after 4 hours (14:00). Average surface temperature and hot-spot-temperature, which is the hottest spot of the body surface, were analyzed using Testo IRsoft 3.1 software. Average temperature of body surface were 36.0, 38.2, and 37.5 in T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Average of body surface temperature in T2 and T3 were higher (p<0.001) than T1, and average temperature of body surface of T3 was greater (p<0.001) than that of T2. The hot-spot-temperature of T1, T2, and T3 were 38.7, 39.5, and 39.6, respectively. The hot-spot-temperature of T2 (p<0.01) and T3 (p<0.001) were significantly higher than that of T1. Above results demonstrate that grouping unfamiliar pigs leads to increase in the body temperature possibly by pigs aggressive behavior during social conflict. By the result on average body temperature, this study suggests that the mixing with similar body weight would increase the struggle time and frequency.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1450-1454
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• 2006

Three hundred and seventy-five steers (approximately 7 mo of age and $239.0{\pm}10.4kg$) were utilized to determine the effects of trace mineral (TM) supplementation and source on performance during the on-farm backgrounding and feedlot receiving phases of beef cattle production. At their respective ranches, steers were stratified by body weight into six groups. Groups were then assigned to one of six pens and pens were randomly assigned to treatments. Treatments consisted of: 1) control (no supplemental Cu, Zn, Mn, and Co), 2) inorganic trace mineral ($CuSO_4$, $ZnSO_4$, $MnSO_4$, and $CoCO_3$), and 3) organic trace mineral (iso-amounts of organic Cu, Zn, Mn, and Co). Mineral treatments were fed in alfalfa pellets formulated to supply 360 mg of Zn, 200 mg of Mn, 125 mg of Cu, and 12.5 mg of Co per head per day from either organic or inorganic trace mineral sources. Control steers received alfalfa pellets with no additional Cu, Zn, Mn, or Co. Steers were allowed free access to harvested alfalfa-grass hay throughout the 30-d on-farm backgrounding phase. On day 30 post-weaning, steers were weighed and transported to the feedlot. Steers were blocked by treatment within ranch, stratified by initial body weight, and randomly assigned to one of 36 pens (9-12 head per pen; 12 pens per treatment). Steers remained on the same on-farm backgrounding trace mineral treatments, however, trace mineral treatments were included in the total mixed growing ration. Steers were fed a corn silage-based growing diet throughout the 28 d feedlot receiving period. There was no effect of TM supplementation on performance of steers during the on-farm backgrounding phase. By the end of the 28-d feedlot receiving phase, ADG was similar between control and trace mineral supplemented steers. Steers supplemented with organic TM had greater (p<0.05) ADG than steers supplemented with inorganic TM by the end of the 28-d feedlot receiving phase. Morbidity and mortality rates were similar across treatments.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.67-72
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of Lactobacillus spp. W44 and J124 strain isolated from Kimchi on the growth rate, average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion and change of intestine microflora in the weaning piglets. In the experiment 1, growth rate was significantly increased to $28.5\;{\pm}\;4.3\;kg$ and $27.6\;{\pm}\;3.3\;kg$ after oral administration of W44 and J124 strain as feed additives, respectively (p<0.05). ADG and feed conversion were also significantly improved after administration during 44 experiment days (p<0.05). In the analysis of intestinal microflora, the number of Lactobacillus spp. in the experiment groups was significantly increased 100 to 1,000 times compared to those of control group. In the experiment 2, the efficacy of W44 and J124 strains on the growth rate, ADG, feed conversion and change of intestine microflora were reconfirmed significantly (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences on feed conversion in the W44 bead and J124 bead groups. In summary, our results suggest that W-44 and J-124 stains from Kimchi have a significant effect on the weight gain and feed conversion, and it may be useful probiotic strains for the weaning piglets as feed additives.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2006

The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters between first and later parities as different traits in reproductive traits of pigs using multiple trait animal model procedures. Data related to reproductive traits from a total of 2,371 individuals maintained at a farm were taken from the pedigree file. Sires and dams were consisted of Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire breeds, respectively. The first and later parity records were considered as different traits. Traits included in analyses were total pigs born (TB1), number of pigs born alive (NBA1), number of pigs weaned (NW1), and litter weaning weight (LWT1) in the first parity, and total pigs born (TB2), number of pigs born alive (NBA2), number of pigs weaned (NW2), litter weaning weight (LWT2) and interval between farrowing events (FTF) in later parities. Heritability estimates of TB1, NBA1, NW1 and LWT1 in the first parity were 0.27, 0.25, 0.16 and 0.20, respectively. For TB2, NBA2, NW2, LWT2 and FTF in later parities, heritabilities were estimated as 0.15, 0.15, 0.08, 0.11 and 0.07, respectively. Genetic correlations between sow reproductive traits in the first parity and in the second and later parity were estimated to be 0.89, 0.77, 0.58 and 0.66, respectively, between TB1 and TB2, NBA1 and NBA2, NW1 and NW2, and LWT1 and LWT2. While phenotypic correlations between TB1 and TB2, NBA1 and NBA2, NW1 and NW2, and LWT1 and LWT2 were estimated as 0.18, 0.15, 0.06 and 0.10, respectively. Genetic correlations between reproductive traits of first and later parities were not high indicating that reproductive traits for sows should be analyzed while considering the parities as different traits.