Transporting birds for two to four hours over distances of up to 224 km (140 miles) induced hyperlipacidaemia and hypoglycaemia while the concentration of plasma cholesterol decreased and then increased significantly. These responses were the same in summer and winter. Body temperature was not affected by the experimental conditions. There was a consistent increase in plasma corticosterone which was greater in winter than in summer.

No abstract

This study investigated the temperature of pigs’ blood as it flowed from the sticking wound at exsanguination using infra-red thermometry and how it might reflect changes in core body temperature. A total of 417 pigs were monitored over a three-day period, which included a subset of 206 pigs for which additional information concerning transport conditions and ambient temperature was also known. The range of blood temperatures recorded was large (35.6-43.2°C) with a significant number of the animals found to have blood temperatures above the pigs’ normal temperature (39 ± l°C). Within the subset of pigs, average blood temperature of all the pigs in a pen at slaughter appeared to be related to pen temperatures and position on the lorry and was sensitive enough to detect changes in environmental ambient conditions.