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Access to chewable materials during lactation affects sow behaviour and interaction with piglets
Contributor(s):: Swan, Kirsi-Marja, Telkänranta, Helena, Munsterhjelm, Camilla, Peltoniemi, Olli, Valros, Anna
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Managing large litters: Selected measures of performance in 10 intermediate nurse sows and welfare of foster piglets
Contributor(s):: Kobek-Kjeldager, Cecilie, Moustsen, Vivi A., Theil, Peter K., Pedersen, Lene J.
Selection for increased litter size has led to the use of so-called nurse sows in several European countries. A nurse sow receives new piglets after having weaned her own. Nurse sows are often made in two-steps. In the two-step strategy, new-born piglets are given to a sow 4–7 days into...
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Handling and moving cull sows upon arrival at the slaughterhouse—Effects of small versus larger groups of sows
Contributor(s):: Herskin, Mette S., Christensen, Sanne W., Rousing, Tine
In modern pig production up to 50 % of the sows are slaughtered each year. So far, only few studies have focused on how sows are handled and moved within slaughterhouses. We examined effects of group size on the behaviour of sows and the ease of moving them from the entrance of a slaughterhouse...
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A review of neonatal mortality in outdoor organic production and possibilities to increase piglet survival
Contributor(s):: Schild, S. Lina A., Baxter, Emma M., Pedersen, Lene J.
The current level of piglet mortality in production systems with outdoor farrowing is high and conflicts with the ethical principles of organic farming. Over the last decade, there has been a rise in scientific studies addressing the level of piglet mortality in outdoor pig production and the...
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Clinical and behavioural consequences of on-farm mixing of cull sows after weaning
Contributor(s):: Herskin, Mette S., Holm, Cathrine, Thodberg, Karen
In modern pig production up to 50% of the sows are slaughtered each year. Typically, the period from the decision to cull and until a sow is slaughtered consists of a stay in an on-farm pick-up pen (hours to weeks), transport (eventually passing buying stations or similar) and lairage. However,...
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Efecto de algunos factores genético-ambientales sobre el tamaño de camada al nacimiento en cerdos. I. Tamaño de la Camada Nacidos Vivos (TCNV)
| Contributor(s):: Romina Pía Aguirre Brockway
Chile, según información reciente de USDA, se encuentra en el sexto lugar de los principales exportadores de carne porcina del mundo. Para responder a esta demanda, los productores de cerdos se han preocupado de mejorar sus índices productivos, entre los que se encuentra el...
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Parity Influences the Demeanor of Sows in Group Housing
| Contributor(s):: Clarke, Taya, Pluske, John R., Miller, David W., Collins, Teresa, Fleming, Patricia A.
Across the globe, producers are moving from individual housing to group housing for sows during gestation. Producers typically group sows of a range of parities together, although the impacts are largely unknown. This study examined the behavioral expression at mixing for young, midparity, and...
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Maternal Behavior, Posture Change, and Production Performance of Lactating Sows Housed in an Enriched Environment
| Contributor(s):: Yi, Ran, Wang, Chao, Zhang, Xin, Zhao, Peng, Zhang, Mingyue, Li, Xiang, Cui, Shiquan, Liu, Honggui, Bao, Jun
This study aimed to evaluate whether adding straw to a loose-farrowing house promotes maternal functions and production. Forty-eight sows (Landrace× Large White) were housed in either a farrowing pen without straw (C, n = 24) or with straw (S, n = 24). Behaviors were observed using video...
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Prepartum nest-building has an impact on postpartum nursing performance and maternal behaviour in early lactating sows
| Contributor(s):: Yun, Jinhyeon, Swan, Kirsi-Marja, Farmer, Chantal, Oliviero, Claudio, Peltoniemi, Olli, Valros, Anna
The effects of facilitating prepartum nest-building (NB) behaviour, by providing abundant nesting materials, on postpartum maternal characteristics in early lactating sows were evaluated. A total of 35 sows, approximately seven days before the expected parturition date, were housed in: (1) CRATE...
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Learning performance of gestating sows called to the feeder
| Contributor(s):: Kirchner, Jasmin, Manteuffel, Christian, Manteuffel, Gerhard, Schrader, Lars
A call feeding station in which sows learn to be allowed to enter a feeding station only after being called by an individual acoustic signal has been shown to reduce agonistic interactions in front of the feeding station. Here, we tested important prerequisites for integration of a call feeding...
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Interaction between sows’ aggressiveness post mixing and skin lesions recorded several weeks later
| Contributor(s):: Tönepöhl, Björn, Appel, Anne K., Voß, Barbara, König von Borstel, Uta, Gauly, Matthias
Group housing of pigs leads inevitably to more or less serious agonistic interactions during the establishment of the social rank order of the group. In order to reduce the number of severe agonistic interactions and thus the negative effects on well-being and performance, the use of genetic...
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Hierarchy formation in newly mixed, group housed sows and management strategies aimed at reducing its impact
| Contributor(s):: Greenwood, Emma C., Plush, Kate J., van Wettere, William H. E. J., Hughes, Paul E.
Aggression is at its highest when sows are first introduced to new animals and hierarchies are being established. Thus, methods to reduce aggression should focus on this period. The aggression that occurs during mixing results in physiological stress responses, which can have detrimental effects...
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The effects of the light regimen imposed during lactation on the performance and behaviour of sows and their litters
| Contributor(s):: Simitzis, Panagiotis E., Veis, Dimitrios, Demiris, Nikos, Charismiadou, Maria A., Ayoutanti, Anna, Deligeorgis, Stelios G.
The objective of the present study was to highlight the possible effects of an extended photoperiod throughout lactation on the performance and behaviour of sows and their piglets. Sows were randomly assigned to two light regimens: (1) standard (n=12) consisting of 8h of light (0700–1500) daily...
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Effect of rubber slat mats on the behaviour and welfare of group housed pregnant sows
| Contributor(s):: Díaz, Julia Adriana Calderón, Boyle, Laura Ann
This study evaluated the effect of flooring, lameness, body and limb lesion scores on postural and spatial behaviour of gestating sows. Sixty-four sows were kept in groups of four in pens with four solid concrete floored feeding stalls and a concrete fully slatted group area from 4 weeks after...
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The effect of pen design on free space utilization of sows group housed in gestation pens equipped with free access stalls
| Contributor(s):: Rioja-Lang, Fiona C., Hayne, Stephanie M., Gonyou, Harold W.
This study investigated the implementation of walk-in/lock-in stalls (free access stalls) for group housed sows. The objectives were to compare two different pen configurations (‘I-pen’ vs. ‘T-pen’) by determining the proportion and type (size/parity) of sows that used the free space areas, and...
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The effect of ketoprofen on post-partum behaviour in sows
| Contributor(s):: Viitasaari, Elina, Raekallio, Marja, Heinonen, Mari, Valros, Anna, Peltoniemi, Olli, Hänninen, Laura
A randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial was conducted in order to estimate pain-related behavioural changes of sows in early lactation. Ketoprofen (KET) was used (3mg/kg BW) intramuscularly for three consecutive days post-partum (p.p.) on 19 sows. Nineteen sows were used as a...
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Drinking behaviour in sows kept outdoors during the winter months
| Contributor(s):: Andersen, Heidi Mai-Lis, Pedersen, Lene Juul
In the light of the EU regulation, “pigs must have permanent access to a sufficient quantity of fresh water” and the practical problems it provides farmers during winter to keep water free of ice, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of periods with frost on the diurnal pattern...
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Behavior and performance in primiparous sows of two Min pig hybrid breeds in outdoor housing systems
| Contributor(s):: Liu, Hong-gui, Wang, Chao, Lv, Jing, Yu, Yun-qing, Zhang, Jun-ling, Bao, Jun
When sows and their litters are kept outdoors, the maternal ability, including maternal behavior, is very important for piglet health and survival. The aim of this study was to compare part of maternal behavior and performance in primiparous sows of two different conventionally bred Min pig...
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Turning around by pregnant sows
| Contributor(s):: Bøe, Knut Egil, Cronin, Greg M., Andersen, Inger Lise
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of reducing pen width on turning around by sows. While pregnant sows were studied in both experiments, our overriding objective was to investigate the relationship between space on turning around by farrowing/lactating sows in pens and...
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Stability of social hierarchy in growing female pigs and pregnant sows
| Contributor(s):: Parent, Jean-Philippe, Meunier-Salaün, Marie-Christine, Vasseur, Elsa, Bergeron, Renée
Conflicting results between dominance tests and repetitions of these tests over time in pigs may result from a lack of stability of their social hierarchy. The objectives of this study were to compare five methods to measure social hierarchy and to examine the stability of test results over time...
