Vol. 9, Issue 2, Part A (2024)

Author(s): Valavan P, Roshin Anie Jose, John Abraham, Vishnu Savanth, Lali F Anand, Gopikrishnan P, Nisha TS and Manish M

Abstract: The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between the rectal temperature of pigs and surface temperatures estimated through non-invasive techniques, specifically utilising an infrared thermometer and thermal imaging. The trial involved six Large White Yorkshire and six crossbred pigs of six months of age from the Pig Farm, Instructional Livestock Farm Complex, Pookode, Wayanad, Kerala. The research was conducted for two months each, during the winter of 2022 and the summer of 2023. The animal parameters like rectal temperature and surface temperatures were recorded daily around 1 p.m., during the study period. Surface temperatures (in degrees Celsius) were determined by averaging the readings from six key points, including the head, shoulder, loin, back, inner ear, and tympanic region, using an infrared thermometer. Simultaneously, thermal images of the animals were captured within a maximum distance of 0.75 meters from the animals, using an infrared thermal imaging camera. During the summer season, pigs exhibited elevated rectal and surface temperatures of 39.42±0.02 ℃ and 36.42±0.07 ℃, respectively, highlighting the influence of temperature fluctuations on their body temperature regulation. To evaluate the correlation between the non-invasive surface temperature measurements and the rectal temperature, Pearson's Coefficient of Correlation was computed for all the recorded surface temperature data. Notably, the shoulder temperature exhibited a strong correlation with a coefficient of 0.613 in relation to rectal temperature, at a significance level of p<0.05. These results provide valuable insights into the relationship between surface and rectal temperatures in pigs. The regression equation for calculating rectal temperature was derived.