Page 11 of articles about behaviour-welfare in Abstracts

The aim of this study was to investigate reproductive performance and possible reproductive problems (late estrus, infertility, reasons for culling) in herds with either group‐housed or individually housed pregnant sows. In a second analysis, we evaluated the effects of different group housing systems.

The results of this study confirm the beneficial effect of enrichment on the behaviour of pigs, as well as the existence of interactions between physical environment and enrichment. Conceivably, this could lead to a better method of evaluating the impact of production systems on the welfare of pigs.

The effects of common and concurrent environmental stressors on the social behaviour of farm animals are poorly understood. Here, we report the results of a multifactorial experiment designed specifically to examine the individual, additive or interactive effects of elevated ammonia, noise and low light (LL) levels on the social behaviour of growing pigs.

Sow welfare may be directly related with floor space allowance and dietary fibre.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of two topical anesthetics to alleviate the pain caused by castration in piglets as measured by physiological and behavior indices of stress.

The objective of the present study was to test the effect of injection device (conventional syringe and needle versus needle-free injection device [NFID]) on the incidence of head and neck abscesses at slaughter.

The use of ingredients with high DF content in sow diets may reduce the physical activity of the sow.

Commercially farmed animals are frequently housed in conditions that impose a number of concurrent environmental stressors. For pigs housed indoors, elevated levels of mechanical noise, atmospheric ammonia and low light intensities are commonplace. This experiment examined the effects on growing pigs of chronic exposure to combinations of commercially relevant levels of these potential stressors.

In the European Union, the group-housed pregnant sows have to have a minimal legal available area of 2.25 m2/sow. However, it has been observed that an increased space allowance reduces agonistic behaviour and consecutive wounds and thus induces better welfare conditions. But, what about the environmental impacts of this greater available area?

Stress caused by reduced space allocation may disrupt the cellular immune system in piglets and stimulate the releases of cortisol.

The effects of an extended photoperiod around parturition and throughout lactation on performances of primiparous sows and their piglets were studied.

Feed disappearance on the day after weaning tends to be greater in pigs housed in a prolonged photoperiod. Nevertheless, prolonging the photoperiod during the first 4 days after weaning does not influence feed disappearance or body weight gain over the entire nursery phase.

High energy creep feed may enhance piglet performance during the sucking period.

Salivary cortisol (a stress hormone) is an outcome measure that can be used along with health, behaviour, and productivity. Saliva sampling has the potential to be a relatively non-invasive method of determining cortisol concentration. However, techniques have not yet been validated or standardized for use in grower-finisher pigs. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that different sampling regimens have on salivary cortisol concentration.

The extent of inflammation associated with tail biting in finishing pigs was evaluated. Tail histopathology, carcass condemnation and the concentration of three acute phase proteins (APPs), C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp), were examined in 12 tail-bitten and 13 control pigs.

Combining behavioral and physiological measures of stress provides a robust picture of piglet welfare during transport at different space allowances.