Pig

Mixing at young ages reduces fighting in unacquainted domestic pigs

We found no significant relationship between age and the likelihood that a pair of piglets would fight during the first 75 min after mixing. However, the duration of the first fight observed increased from 101?38 s at 5 days to...

Year Published: 2000Animal Type: Pig

Citation: Pitts, A. D., Weary, D. M., Pajor, E. A. et al. 2000. Mixing at young ages reduces fighting in unacquainted domestic pigs . Applied Animal Behaviour Science 68, 191-197.

Hoop housing for feeder pigs offers a welfare-friendly environment compared to a nonbedded confinement system

Group-housed pigs kept in an enriched environment, i.e., bedding performed fewer abnormal behaviors, had lower plasma cortisol concentrations in response to stress [handling], had a greater rate of play behaviour, and fewer leg injuries than pigs kept in a barren,...

Year Published: 2000Animal Type: Pig

Citation: Lay, D., Haussmann, M. F., Daniels, M. J. 2000. Hoop housing for feeder pigs offers a welfare-friendly environment compared to a nonbedded confinement system. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 3(1), 33-48.

Effects of different degrees of social isolation on the behaviour of weaned piglets kept for experimental purposes

The effect of degree of isolation on the behaviour of weaned piglets was investigated using eight replicates of littermates, weaned at 4 weeks and caged for 2 weeks in metabolism chambers under varying degrees of isolation: i) fully isolated without...

Year Published: 2000Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Herskin, M. S., Jensen, K. H. 2000. Effects of different degrees of social isolation on the behaviour of weaned piglets kept for experimental purposes. Animal Welfare 9, 237-249.

Handling and welfare of livestock in slaughter plants

Moving pigs in the aisle and walking through their pens every day will make the animals easier to handle.

Year Published: 2000Animal Type: Pig

Citation: Grandin, T. 2000. Handling and welfare of livestock in slaughter plants. In: Livestock Handling and Transport. Grandin, T. (ed), 409-439. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.

Group size and floor-space allowance can affect weanling-pig performance

Large groups and reduced floor-space allowance reduced piglet growth performance in the nursery.

Year Published: 2000Animal Type: Pig

Citation: Wolter, B. F., Ellis, M., Curtis, S. E. et al. 2000. Group size and floor-space allowance can affect weanling-pig performance. Journal of Animal Science(78), 2062-2067 .

Diversity of behaviour during novel object tests is reduced in pigs housed in substrate-impoverished conditions

We investigated the effect of the substrate in the home pen on the diversity of behaviour in young growing pigs, Sus scrofa. Over 5 months, 26 pigs were housed singly in either substrate-impoverished (SI) or substrate-enriched (SE) conditions. Once every...

Year Published: 2000Animal Type: Pig

Citation: Wemelsfelder, F., Haskell, H., Mendl, M. T. et al. 2000. Diversity of behaviour during novel object tests is reduced in pigs housed in substrate-impoverished conditions . Animal Behaviour 60, 385-394.

Employing innate behaviors of laboratory swine

Very valuable, practicable suggestions are made to facilitate low- or no-stress handling of pigs in the research lab. Basic understanding of pig behavior leads to a comfortable awareness of efficient and productive handling of the animals. All animal handlers and...

Year Published: 2000Animal Type: Pig

Citation: Vogelaar, J. L. 2000. Employing innate behaviors of laboratory swine. Tech Talk [The Newsletter for Laboratory Animal Science Technicians] 5(2), 2-3.

Nylabone on a chain

Both pigs and rabbits are having a great time banging the bone on the cage - they can swing it around, and they get to chew on it too!

Year Published: 2001Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig, Rabbit

Citation: Cohoon, J. 2001. Nylabone on a chain. Tech Talk [The Newsletter for Laboratory Animal Science Technicians] 6(1), 2.

Habituating pigs for in-pen, non-invasive biophysical skin analysis

The purpose of this study was to develop a method for habituating pigs (Sus scrofa domestica, middle white strain) to enable non-invasive, biophysical measurements of dorsal skin to be obtained on a daily basis over a 7-week period, thus eliminating...

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Pig

Citation: Chilcott, R. P., Stubbs, B., Ashley, Z. 2001. Habituating pigs for in-pen, non-invasive biophysical skin analysis. Laboratory Animals 35, 30-35.

Behavior and performance of lactating sows and piglets reared indoors or outdoors

Outdoor sows and piglets were more active and showed a richer behavioral repertoire than indoor-housed sows and piglets. Although the behavior of sows and piglets differed in each production system, productivity was similar for the two systems.

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Pig

Citation: Johnson, A. K., Morrow-Tesch, J. L., McGlone, J. J. 2001. Behavior and performance of lactating sows and piglets reared indoors or outdoors. Journal of Animal Science 79, 2571-2579.