Experimental facilities

 

The team "Experimental facilities" is in charge of conducting research protocols for the research teams or for collaborative activities (contracts) with external partners. It also provides animals (pigs) or services (e.g., preparation of feeds, slaughtering and dissection of pigs) according to external demands.

The experimental facilities include four main parts: the experimental herd, the metabolism and physiology Unit, the feed mill and the slaughter house.
The experimental herd is based on a herd of 200 Large White and Large White x Landrace sows raised on a 3-wk batch farrowing system. Artificial insemination is used systematically, mostly with Piétrain. The facilities include two farrowing units (with single blocked or group-housed systems during pregnancy), a conventional weaning unit, an experimental weaning unit (group or single-housed pens) , one unit for group-housed growing-finishing pigs, one unit for single-housed growing-finishing pigs (8 rooms with 60 pens/room), a unit for studies on gilts or reproductive sows equipped for behaviour studies, a unit with temperature-controlled rooms (growing-finishing pigs) and a unit for studying non-conventional production systems. Measurements are related to growth or reproductive performance and/or behaviour.

The Metabolism and Physiology unit includes three surgery rooms (adapted for sows, piglets, and growing pigs), air-conditioned rooms for physiological measurements on animals, rooms and equipment for nutrient balance studies and rooms with specific equipment such as respiration chambers (3) or image scanners. These facilities are accredited for studies on surgically-equipped animals.
     
   
The slaughter house is accredited and is equipped for slaughtering pigs of any size and for sampling and measuring different criteria on carcasses. Equipment and expertise are available for cutting, dissections or grinding carcasses
    
The feed mill has equipment for an accurate preparation of variable quantities of feeds (ranging from a few kilograms to several tonnes); feeds can be pelleted. It is accredited for preparing animal feeds that include fish meal.