Pig

Broadcasting human voice to piglets (Sus scrofa domestica) modifies their behavioural reaction to human presence in the home pen and in arena tests

The human-pig relationship develops through visual, tactile, olfactory, and auditory interactions. Our objective was to determine the effect of human voices on the development of the human-pig relationship. We hypothesised that human voice facilitates the development of the human-pig relationship....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Bensoussan, S., Tigeot, R., Meunier-Salaün, M.-C. et al. 2020. Broadcasting human voice to piglets (Sus scrofa domestica) modifies their behavioural reaction to human presence in the home pen and in arena tests. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 225, 104965.

Clicker training accelerates learning of complex behaviors but reduces discriminative abilities of Yucatan miniature pigs

Animal training is meant to teach specific behavioral responses to specific cues. Clicker training (CT) is a popular training method based on the use of a device that emits a sound of double-click to be associated as a first-order conditioned...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Animal TrainingAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Paredes-Ramos, P., Diaz-Morales, J. V., Espinosa-Palencia, M. et al. 2020. Clicker training accelerates learning of complex behaviors but reduces discriminative abilities of Yucatan miniature pigs. Animals 10(6), 959.

Development of a facial expression scale using farrowing as a model of pain in sows

Changes in facial expression have been shown to be a useful tool to assess pain severity in humans and animals, but facial scales have not yet been developed for all species. A facial expression scale in sows was developed using...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Reproduction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Navarro, E., Mainau, E., Manteca, X. 2020. Development of a facial expression scale using farrowing as a model of pain in sows. Animals 10(11), 2113.

Effects of early and current environmental enrichment on behavior and growth in pigs

Enriched environments are known to beneficially affect the behavior of pigs, as compared with barren pens. The influence of enrichment may, however, depend on pigs' early life housing experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Luo, L., Reimert, I., Middelkoop, A. et al. 2020. Effects of early and current environmental enrichment on behavior and growth in pigs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, 268.

Early and later life environmental enrichment affect specific antibody responses and blood leukocyte subpopulations in pigs

This study addressed the impact of early and later life environmental enrichment, and their combination, on specific antibody responses and peripheral blood leukocyte subpopulations in pigs. Pigs were kept in either barren (B1) or enriched (E1) housing from birth, and...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Luo, L., Jansen, C. A., Bolhuis, J. E. et al. 2020. Early and later life environmental enrichment affect specific antibody responses and blood leukocyte subpopulations in pigs. Physiology & Behavior 217, 112799.

Enrichment use in finishing pigs and its relationship with damaging behaviours: Comparing three wood species and a rubber floor toy

Environmental enrichment in pig housing is a legal requirement under current EU legislation, but some recommended loose materials may cause obstructions in fully-slatted systems. Wood is an organic material that could be compatible with slatted systems. This study investigated enrichment...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Chou, J.-Y., D’Eath, R. B., Sandercock, D. A. et al. 2020. Enrichment use in finishing pigs and its relationship with damaging behaviours: Comparing three wood species and a rubber floor toy. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 224, 104944.

Frothy saliva—A novel indicator to assess stereotypies in sows?

The present study aimed at introducing a reliable and more feasible indicator to evaluate stereotypies in sows in comparison with the Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment protocol for sows and piglets’. Therefore, the indicators for the assessment of stereotypies of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Friedrich, L., Krieter, J., Kemper, N. et al. 2020. Frothy saliva—A novel indicator to assess stereotypies in sows? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 222, 104897.

Gastrostomy tube placement via a laparotomic procedure in growing conventional piglets to perform multidose preclinical paediatric drug studies

The use of juvenile conventional pigs as a preclinical animal model to perform pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic (PD) and safety studies for the paediatric population is increasing. Repetitive oral administration of drugs to juvenile pigs is however challenging. A representative method...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Millecam, J., van Bergen, T., Devreese, M. 2020. Gastrostomy tube placement via a laparotomic procedure in growing conventional piglets to perform multidose preclinical paediatric drug studies. Laboratory Animals 54(3), 261-271.

Human proximity seeking in family pigs and dogs

Family dogs (Canis familiaris) seek human contact from an early age, can discriminate and prefer their caregivers over other humans. To investigate if being kept as a family animal is sufficient to induce similar early human proximity-seeking in another domestic...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Dog, Pig

Citation: Pérez Fraga, P., Gerencsér, L., Andics, A. 2020. Human proximity seeking in family pigs and dogs. Scientific Reports 10(1), 20883.

Interobserver reliability of measures of the Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment protocol for sows and piglets

The aim of this study was to assess the interobserver reliability of the measures forming the Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment protocol for sows and piglets. The study was carried out at nine farms in Northern Germany. Two trained observers...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Friedrich, L., Krieter, J., Kemper, N. et al. 2020. Interobserver reliability of measures of the Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment protocol for sows and piglets. Animal Welfare 29(3), 323-337.