Pig

Gentle abdominal stroking (‘belly rubbing’) of pigs by a human reduces EEG total power and increases EEG frequencies

The neurobiological response to gentle touch remains poorly understood, especially in the context of human-animal interaction. A novel approach allowed recording the pig electroencephalogram (EEG) cranially epidurally and wirelessly during positive interactions with a human. Stroking of the pig's abdomen...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Rault, J.-L., Truong, S., Hemsworth, L. et al. 2019. Gentle abdominal stroking (‘belly rubbing') of pigs by a human reduces EEG total power and increases EEG frequencies. Behavioural Brain Research 374, 111892.

Three little pigs! straw, sticks and bricks: ‘I’ll blow your house down’

In order for a scientific project involving animals to run smoothly, it is essential that the Animal Technologists have a good understanding of both the animals they are dealing with and of the project itself. Therefore our input to the...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Duckett, L., Phelon, L., Wheeler, L. 2018.Three little pigs! straw, sticks and bricks: ‘I'll blow your house down'. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(3), 201-203 (IAT Congress 2018 Poster Presentation).

Environmental enrichment for pregnant sows modulates HPA-axis and behavior in the offspring

Our goal was to assess the effects of environmental enrichment during gestation on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) and behavior of offspring. In order to test our hypothesis, we kept 18 sows (Sus scrofa domesticus) in straw during the final third...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Tatemoto, P., Bernardino, T., Alves, L. et al. 2019. Environmental enrichment for pregnant sows modulates HPA-axis and behavior in the offspring. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 220, 104854.

A pig’s tale, “travelling in style”

This paper describes the design and construction – by Animal Care Technicians – of a cage-style crate to transport experimental pigs between buildings that minimizes harm and distress.

Year Published: 2019Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Duckett, L., Phelon, L., Wheeler, L. 2018. A pig's tale, “travelling in style”. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(3), 189-192 (IAT Congress 2018 Poster Presentation).

Animal personality in the management and welfare of pigs

Personality is defined as individual behavioral differences that are consistent over time and across contexts and is constructed from a number of underlying traits. Over the last 27 years, studies on pig personality have investigated links between personality traits and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: PersonalityAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: O'Malley, C. I., Turner, S. P., D'Eath, R. B. et al. 2019. Animal personality in the management and welfare of pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 218, 104821.

A review of the effects of non-straw enrichment on tail biting in pigs

Tail biting remains a common problem in pig production. As producers are reluctant to use straw to reduce this behaviour, we review studies on the effectiveness of other types of enrichment. Roughage, hessian sacks, compost, fresh wood, space dividers, rope,...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Buijs, S., Muns, R. 2019. A review of the effects of non-straw enrichment on tail biting in pigs. Animals 9(10), 824.

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.