The Influence of Lairage Conditions for Finishing Pigs on Behavior,Biochemical Indicators and Meat Quality

摘要

A total of 60 crossbred(Large White×Landrace) pigs of halothane genotype NN(castrated males and females) were allotted to three treatments:3 h lairage with toys,3 h lairage and 0 h lairage in a randomized complete block design and used to evaluate the influence of lairage conditions on behavior, biochemical indicators and meat quality for finishing pigs at slaughter.Behavior of the pigs was scored subjectively during lairage.Blood samples were taken at exsanguination s to measure blood temperature, plasma Cortisol,ACTH,glucose,lactate,plasma enzymes and hematological indices.Post-mortem meat quality measurements included muscle colour value(MCV),electrical conductivity(EC),pH at 45 min and 24 h from Longissimus thoracis(LM) and Semimembranosus(SM) mucles and drip loss from LM. The results showed that 3 h lairage group with toys demonstrated significantly improved behavior than the group without toys at 3 sampling times.All the pigs showed increasing calmness as the time of lairage progressed.The omission of lairage increased plasma Cortisol,ACTH,glucose and lactate(P0.05),and decreased plasma lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),and creatine kinase(CK)(P0.05).No biochemical index was influenced by the presence or absence of toys during lairage(P0.05).Muscle colour value, electrical conductivity,pH at 45 min and 24 h from LM and SM and drip loss were not affected by any treatment(P0.05).Pigs provided 3 h lairage,with or without toys,exhibited lower red blood cell(RBC), hemoglobin(HGB),and haematocrit(HCT) when compared to 0 h lairage.3 h lairage with or without toys resulted in higher white blood cell(WBC) and lymphocyte(W-SCC) levels than 0 h lairage.None of the hemocytic indices in pigs given lairage was affected by the presence or absence of toys.We conclude from this pilot study that in local commercial conditions,from the point of view of animal welfare and meat quality,lairage time of 3 h after short travel was beneficial.Pigs resting showed increased relief from stress and a recovery in immune competence.Holding pigs in lairage with toys for a few hours after arrival at the abattoir may be beneficial for the animal’s well-being.