Diversity of behaviour during novel object tests is reduced in pigs housed in substrate-impoverished conditions (2000)

Wemelsfelder, F., Haskell, H., Mendl, M. T. et al.

Abstract

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 month we recorded the behaviour of these in detail both in the home pens and in two novel object tests. .. In the two novel tests, SI pigs were less mobile than SE pigs. .. In addition, SI pigs less diverse behaviour than SE pigs. Our results show that the less diverse behaviour of SI pigs previously recorded in home pens persists under novel conditions, supporting the hypothesis that substrate-impoverished housing structurally affect the organization of behaviour in young growing pigs.