Gestational and early-life dietary impacts on performance, welfare and gut health
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: Inst of Integrative & Comparative Biolog
Abstract
Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) face a range of environmental challenges throughout their life course, and there is considerable variability between pigs in how well they cope with these challenges. The microbiome and the subsequent growth and development of offspring are shaped by the conditions experienced during pregnancy, the location and mode of delivery and the diet of an individual. Given that sows may be located either indoors or outdoors with different farrowing conditions and piglet feeding systems, a piglet's microbiome and development could be heavily influenced by the environment in which it is born, and could affect an individual's ability to cope with environmental challenges, ultimately compromising performance and health. The gut microbiome and its associations with pre- and neo-natal diet and subsequent impacts on performance, health and cognitive development is an area of emerging and increasing interest to both academics and the pig and animal nutrition sectors with substantial potential real-world impact.
The overall aim of this project is to investigate the impacts of different dietary constituents in the pre-and neo-natal stages of development, and early life environment on cognitive development, welfare and performance, using pigs as a model system.
The overall aim of this project is to investigate the impacts of different dietary constituents in the pre-and neo-natal stages of development, and early life environment on cognitive development, welfare and performance, using pigs as a model system.
Publications
Bushby E
(2021)
Is Magnesium Supplementation an Effective Nutritional Method to Reduce Stress in Domestic Pigs? A Systematic Review
in Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/R506096/1 | 01/10/2017 | 31/12/2021 | |||
| 1945733 | Studentship | BB/R506096/1 | 01/10/2017 | 31/12/2021 | Emily Bushby |
| Description | Primary Diets |
| Organisation | Primary Diets |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Carry out the research |
| Collaborator Contribution | They provide an industry perspective and input on the research I carry out, as well as also formulating, producing and supplying the pig feed for the study. This is also where I did my three month placement |
| Impact | Three month experience in industry and all output from the PhD (in progress) |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | "Can Dietary Magnesium Improve Pig Welfare And Performance?" 10 minute talk presented at International Society for Applied Ethology in Bergen in August 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presented a 10 minute talk - "Can Dietary Magnesium Improve Pig Welfare And Performance?" at the International Society for Applied Ethology in Bergen in August 2019. I answered audience questions at the end |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Can magnesium reduce stress and aggressive behaviour in pigs? A systematic review. 3 minute presentation at the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) annual conference in Edinburgh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presented a 3 minute talk titled "Can magnesium reduce stress and aggressive behaviour in pigs? A systematic review." at the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) annual conference in Edinburgh. I answered audience questions at the end. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | I presented a 7 minute talk on the use of magnesium in pigs and how it may be used to reduce stress at The International Society for the Development of Research on Magnesium's workshop in Krakow, Poland in April 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I presented a 7 minute talk on the use of magnesium in pigs and how it may be used to reduce stress at The International Society for the Development of Research on Magnesium's workshop in Krakow, Poland in April 2018 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Poster presentation at annual DTP symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I presented a poster on my PhD work so far (titled Can Magnesium Reduce Stress And Aggression In Grower Pigs?) at the annual DTP symposium. In 2019 this was at York university |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Poster presentation at the University of Leeds faculty of biological sciences postgraduate symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I presented a poster on my PhD work so far, titled Can Magnesium Reduce Stress And Aggression In Grower Pigs? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |