Stereotyped behaviour, adjunctive drinking and the feeding periods of tethered sows (1984)

Rushen, J.

Abstract

The movement of the food trolley causes considerable excitement in the animals, and it is during this period that bar-biting, nose rubbing, and head-weaving occur most rapidly. ... Stereotyped sequences of behaviour may be a means of reducing the arousal generated by the expectation of food. .... The persistence of feeding motivation in the absence of any food, and the strong probability that food will not be forthcoming, may provide the crucial factors for the occurrence of long duration interim drinking, particularly where, due to the method of housing, the animals are forced into continued proximity to the area now devoid of food.