Pig

Humanely ending the life of animals: Research priorities to identify alternatives to carbon dioxide

The use of carbon dioxide (CO2) for stunning and killing animals is considered to compromise welfare due to air hunger, anxiety, fear, and pain. Despite decades of research, no alternatives have so far been found that provide a safe and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken, Mouse, Pig, Rat

Citation: Steiner, A. R., Axiak Flammer, S., Beausoleil, N. J. et al. 2019. Humanely ending the life of animals: Research priorities to identify alternatives to carbon dioxide. Animals 9(11), 911.

Increasing the number of wooden beams from two to four increases the exploratory behaviour of finisher pigs

Pigs are highly motivated to perform exploratory behaviour and must have permanent access to manipulable material according to the EU Directive 2008/120/EC. A commonly used type of manipulable material is wooden beams. The beams are placed in vertical racks and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Larsen, M. L. V., Jensen, M. B., Pedersen, L. J. 2019. Increasing the number of wooden beams from two to four increases the exploratory behaviour of finisher pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 216, 6-14.

Damaging behaviour and associated lesions in relation to types of enrichment for finisher pigs on commercial farms

EU legislation states that all pigs must have access to material that allows them to perform investigation and manipulation activities, thereby reducing the risk of pigs performing damaging behaviours (e.g., tail, ear and flank biting). We aimed to determine associations...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: van Staaveren, N., Hanlon, A., Boyle, L. A. 2019. Damaging behaviour and associated lesions in relation to types of enrichment for finisher pigs on commercial farms. Animals 9(9), 677.

How far are we from providing pigs appropriate environmental enrichment?

Limitations to the fulfilment of ethological and physiological needs can cause countless negative effects on animal welfare and lead to the development of abnormal behaviours. EU legislation on pig welfare does not allow routine tail docking unless other measures such...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Fàbrega, E. 2019. How far are we from providing pigs appropriate environmental enrichment? Animals 9(10), 721.

How can we assess positive welfare in ruminants?

Until now, most research has focused on the development of indicators of negative welfare, and relatively few studies provide information on valid, reliable, and feasible indicators addressing positive aspects of animal welfare. However, a lack of suffering does not guarantee...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Mattiello, S., Battini, M., De Rosa, G. et al. 2019. How can we assess positive welfare in ruminants? Animals 9(10), 758.

The effects of environmental enrichment on the physiology, behaviour, productivity and meat quality of pigs raised in a hot climate

Some positive effects regarding the use of enrichment material on the stimulation of pig exploration and a reduction in redirected behaviour was reported. This study aims to evaluate the effects of four enrichment materials on the behaviour, physiology/health, performance and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Fàbrega, E., Marcet-Rius, M., Vidal, R. et al. 2019. The effects of environmental enrichment on the physiology, behaviour, productivity and meat quality of pigs raised in a hot climate. Animals 9(5), 235.

Providing effective environmental enrichment to pigs: How far have we come?

Science has defined the characteristics of effective environmental enrichment for pigs. We provide an overview of progress towards the provision of pig enrichment in the three largest global pork producing regions. In the USA, enrichment has not yet featured on...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: van de Weerd, H., Ison, S. 2019. Providing effective environmental enrichment to pigs: How far have we come? Animals 9(5), 254.

Effects of enrichment type, presentation and social status on enrichment use and behaviour of sows with electronic sow feeding

The goal of this study was to identify practical enrichments for sows in partially or fully slatted pen systems. Four treatments were applied: (1) Constant: constant provision of wood on chain; (2) Rotate: rotation of rope, straw and wood enrichments;...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Roy, C., Lippens, L., Kyeiwaa, V. et al. 2019. Effects of enrichment type, presentation and social status on enrichment use and behaviour of sows with electronic sow feeding. Animals 9(6), 369.

Effects of environmental enrichment on pig welfare—A review

Good husbandry conditions on farms is of key importance for assuring animal welfare. One of the most important legal documents regulating the rules of maintaining pigs is the Directive 2008/120/EC, which states that group-housed pigs should have access to litter...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Godyń, D., Nowicki, J., Herbut, P. 2019. Effects of environmental enrichment on pig welfare—A review. Animals 9(6), 383.

Are tail and ear movements indicators of emotions in tail-docked pigs in response to environmental enrichment?

The inclusion of emotional indicators in farm monitoring methods can improve welfare assessments. Studies in controlled conditions have suggested that increased tail movement is an indicator of positive emotions in pigs, while others have proposed that increased ear movements are...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Marcet-Rius, M., Fàbrega, E., Cozzi, A. et al. 2019. Are tail and ear movements indicators of emotions in tail-docked pigs in response to environmental enrichment? Animals 9(7), 449.