Circadian behavioral patterns and body weight affect ammonia emissions in a pig fattening room
Marko OCEPEK and Dejan ŠKORJANC
pp. 29-35
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the circadian behavioral patterns and body weight of pigs on the ammonia emissions produced in a pig fattening room. The microclimatic conditions, ammonia concentration and carbon dioxide were measured with a special monitoring device. The behavior of pigs (laying areas and urination places) was observed indirectly. The ammonia emissions had a linear relationship with the urination frequency on the solid floor and the body weight (BW) of pigs. In the group with a body weight of 25 kg (BW25), the urination frequency on the solid floor increased by 1% as the ammonia volatilization increased by 0.1 g pig-1day-1. These levels were doubled in the BW50 group and trebled in the BW75 group. The pigs also had a circadian behavioral pattern. The urination frequencies on the solid floor start to increase in the morning (06–12 h) and with the highest in the afternoon (12–18 h) when the pigs were more active. This resulted in the immediate higher production of ammonia emissions. The pig BW did not affect the laying preferences of the pigs.
Key words: ammonia emissions, behavior, body weight, pig
Slovenian:
Cikardiani načini obnašanja in telesna masa vplivajo na emisije amonijaka v pitališču
Cilj raziskave je bil ugotoviti vplive ciradianega tipa obnašanja in telesne mase prašičev na koncentracije emisij amonijaka proizvedenega v pitališču. Mikrokilmatski pogoji med katere uvrščamo tudi koncentraciji amonijaka in ogljikovega dioksida sta bili merjene s pomočjo posebne naprave. Obnašanje prašičev (področje za počivanje, področje za uriniranje) je bilo proučevano indirektno. Emisije amonijaka imajo linearno povezanost s frekvenco uriniranja na polnih tleh in s telesno maso prašičev. Prašiči s telesno maso 25 kg so imeli povečano frekvenco uriniranja na polnih tleh za 1 % in emisije amonijaka so narasle za 0.1 g na prašiča na dan. Te vrednosti so bile podvojene pri telesni masi 50 kg in potrojilo pri 75 kg telesne mase. Prašiči imajo tudi cirkadiarni model obnašanja. Frekvenca uriniranja na polnih tleh narašča v jutranjih urah (06-12 uro) in z najvišjimi vrednostmi (12-18 uro), ko so prašiči tudi bolj aktivni. To se takoj pokaže v hitrem porastu emisije amonijaka. Telesna masa prašičev ni vplivala na ležalne preference prašičev.
Ključne besede: emisije amonijaka, obnašanje, telesna masa, prašič
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