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A note on chick adoption: a complementary strategy for rearing rheas
Contributor(s):: Labaque, M. C., Navarro, J. L., Martella, M. B.
Adoption of greater rhea (Rhea americana) chicks by males and the comparative survival of adopted vs. male's own chicks in a semi-captive population was investigated. Groups of marked chicks (one to 11 individuals) hatched in incubators were released at intervals near males with their own broods....
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A note on sheltering behaviour by ewes before and after lambing
Contributor(s):: Pollard, J. C., Shaw, K. J., Littlejohn, R. P.
The effects of lambing and lamb rearing on sheltering behaviour was investigated in multiparous Romney x Perendale crossbred ewes with either 9 (5 ewes) or 3 months (5) of wool growth during daylight hours for 6 weeks over the lambing period, in a pasture with little vegetative shelter but with a...
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Alternative housing for sows and litters. Part 3. Effects of piglet diet quality and sow-controlled housing on performance and behaviour
Contributor(s):: Pajor, E. A., Weary, D. M., Caceres, C., Fraser, D., Kramer, D. L.
We studied how "sow-controlled" housing (i.e. housing where sows can leave their piglets at will) affects the behaviour and performance of sows and litters when tested under near-commercial conditions and with two different levels of piglet diet quality. Sows and litters were housed in pens where...
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Alternative housing for sows and litters. Part 4. Effects of sow-controlled housing combined with a communal piglet area on pre- and post-weaning behaviour and performance
Contributor(s):: Weary, D. M., Pajor, E. A., Bonenfant, M., Fraser, D., Kramer, D. L.
Previous experimental work has shown modest and variable production and welfare benefits for the lactating sow and piglets when sows are allowed to separate themselves temporarily from their piglets, or when piglets have access to a communal creep area sufficiently attractive that they spend...
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Alternative housing for sows and litters. Part 5. Individual differences in the maternal behaviour of sows
Contributor(s):: Pitts, A. D., Weary, D. M., Fraser, D., Pajor, E. A., Kramer, D. L.
'Sow-controlled' housing has been developed to address welfare and production concerns associated with close confinement of the lactating sow and her litter, by permitting the sow to leave the litter at will. However, there is a risk that variation in the use of the piglet-free ('get-away') area...
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Applied animal behaviour science. (Special issue: Suckling)
Contributor(s):: Lidfors, L., Svennersten-Sjaunja, K., Redbo, I.
This supplement contains articles that focus on behavioural and physiological aspects of suckling and/or sucking in ruminants. Abnormal sucking behaviour, particularly cross-sucking and non-nutritive sucking, in calves are presented; and the effects of milk flow and milk volume, the presence of a...
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Breed differences in the expression of maternal care at parturition persist throughout the lactation period in sheep
Contributor(s):: Pickup, H. E., Dwyer, C. M.
Maternal care plays an important role in the survival of offspring in mammals. In the ewe initial maternal care is expressed by nurturing the young and formation of an exclusive olfactory bond with the lamb. After the neonatal period, maternal care is associated with co-operation with sucking...
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Can sow pre-lying communication or good piglet condition prevent piglets from getting crushed?
Contributor(s):: Melisova, M., Illmann, G., Andersen, I. L., Vasdal, G., Haman, J.
This study focused on the impact of sow-piglet communication during pre-lying behaviour and piglet condition on piglet location before the sow was lying down and on the incidence of piglet crushing. Eighteen loose-housed, Yorkshire x Norwegian Landrace sows and their litters were studied on Day 1...
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Characteristics of wild pig farrowing nests and beds in the upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina
Contributor(s):: Mayer, J. J., Martin, F. D., Brisbin, I. L., Jr.
Thirteen farrowing nests and 9 resting/loafing beds built by wild pigs (Sus scrofa) from an introduced population in South Carolina, USA, were studied with respect to physical description, size parameters, the animals involved, and adjacent surroundings. The nests, built by pre-parturition sows,...
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Dimensions of maternal behaviour characteristics in domestic and wild x domestic crossbred sows
Contributor(s):: Spinka, M., Illmann, G., Jonge, F. de, Andersson, M., Schuurman, T., Jensen, P.
We examined the maternal behaviour of seven domestic and seven wildxdomestic primiparous sows during 10 days post partum at the Wageningen Agricultural University, Neatherlands during April-June 1997 to investigate two questions: (1) Did maternal behaviour change during domestication? (2) Can the...
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Effect of stage of lactation and breed on dairy cows' acceptance of foster calves
Contributor(s):: Loberg, J., Lidfors, L.
We examined the time after separation from their own calf, dairy cows best accept foster calves, and if there are differences between two breeds in their willingness to accept foster calves. Forty-eight cows, 24 Swedish Red and White (SRW) and 24 Swedish Holstein-Friesian (SHF) were used. They...
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Effects of feed-back from the nest on maternal responsiveness and postural changes in primiparous sows during the first 24 h after farrowing onset
Contributor(s):: Pedersen, L. J., Damm, B. I., Marchant-Forde, J. N., Jensen, K. H.
In order to elucidate whether feed-back from a farrowing nest affects the sows' activity level and responsiveness to piglets during the first 24 h after the onset of parturition, 18 primiparous Landrace x Yorkshire sows were given the opportunity to build a farrowing nest of peat, straw and...
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Individual differences in the behaviour of sows at the nest-site and the crushing of piglets
Contributor(s):: Wechsler, B., Hegglin, D.
Continuous 24-h video recordings were made of 11 loose-housed sows and their litters during parturition, and during the following 10 days. Each sow and litter were kept in a pen with a straw-bedded nest-site. Piglets were defined as in danger of being crushed if they were trapped by the sow's...
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Influence of environmental stimuli on nest building and farrowing behaviour in domestic sows
Contributor(s):: Thodberg, K., Jensen, K. H., Herskin, M. S., Jorgensen, E.
The effects of floor type (sand vs. concrete) and substrate type (straw feeder vs. no straw feeder) were examined using a 2 x 2 factorial design with 9 replicates of 4 multiparous sows. From 1 week prepartum until 2 weeks after farrowing, sows were penned individually in roofed 7.6 msuperscript 2...
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Maternal behaviour in Mus musculus sp.: an ethological review
Contributor(s):: Weber, E. M., Olsson, I. A. S.
In this paper, we review the scientific literature on maternal behaviour in commensal house mice and laboratory mice. Similar to other altricial species, female mice prepare a nest before parturition. Once the pups are born, nursing is the main part of maternal behaviour, and pups are weaned...
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Mother-offspring bonding in farmed red deer: accuracy of visual observation verified by DNA analysis
Contributor(s):: Vankova, D., Bartos, L., Cizova-Schroffelova, D., Nespor, F., Jandurova, O.
The accuracy of a maternity assessment based on visual observation was tested during the post parturient phase in farmed red deer in Czech Republic [date not given]. The mother of the calf was determined using visual observation of the hind's peri-parturient and early maternal behaviour during...
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Mother-young relationships in Belgian Blue cattle after a Caesarean section: characterisation and effects of parity. (Special issue: Suckling)
Contributor(s):: Vandenheede, M., Nicks, B., Desiron, A., Canart, B.
The systematic use of Caesarean section in "double muscled" Belgian Blue cattle can induce ethical concerns. The aims of the following study was to characterise mother-young relationships in such a situation and to assess the effect of parity. Fifteen heifers and 15 cows of the Belgian Blue breed...
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Nest building and farrowing in sows: relation to the reaction pattern during stress, farrowing environment and experience
Contributor(s):: Thodberg, K., Jensen, K. H., Herskin, M. S.
Nest building and farrowing behaviour of 40 Landrace/Yorkshire (L/Y) sows was studied in their first and second parity. In the first parity, the gilts were either housed in a crate or a "get-away-pen" (GAP) and in the second parity, either the same farrowing environment was used again or the sow...
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Nursing behaviour of sows during 5 weeks lactation and effects on piglet growth
Contributor(s):: Valros, A. E., Rundgren, M., Spinka, M., Saloniemi, H., Rydhmer, L., Algers, B.
The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of sow nursing behaviour on piglet liveweight gain and within-litter variation (WLV) in piglet liveweight gain under as naturalistic conditions as possible. In order to achieve this, patterns of sow nursing behaviour and piglet liveweight...
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Nursing behaviour, postpartum activity and reactivity in sows: effects of farrowing environment, previous experience and temperament
Contributor(s):: Thodberg, K., Jensen, K. H., Herskin, M. S.
Postpartum behaviour during the first 24 h after farrowing (day 0 pp) and on day 10 pp of 40 Landrace/Yorkshire sows was studied in their first and second parity in a crossover experiment regarding farrowing environment (crate vs. get-away-pen (GAP)). The behaviour was compared with the...
