Announcing the arrival of enrichment increases play behaviour and reduces weaning-stress-induced behaviours of piglets directly after weaning

Abstract

Piglets have difficulties with the abrupt changes at weaning associated with conventional pig production systems. Previously, it has been shown in rats that reward and announcement of reward counteracts impact of stress effects. In the present study, it was investigated if announcement of an environmental enrichment, more than enrichment alone, could facilitate play behaviour and reduce weaning-stress-induced behaviours such as increased aggression with subsequent increased injuries and increased social manipulative behaviours (i.e., tail biting, belly nosing, mounting). Twenty-four litters of conventional housed fattening piglets were kept under three different experimental conditions: sound cue (conditioned stimulus, CS) paired with an environmental enrichment (unconditioned stimulus, US) with a maximum delay between the CS and US of 30 s (CS-US paired) in which anticipatory behaviour develops; cue-environmental enrichment unpaired (CS-US unpaired) and no cue and no environmental enrichment (No CS-US). At two weeks of age the so-called 'anticipation procedure' started and ended two days after weaning. Growth, play, aggressive, social manipulative, eating and inactive behaviour, and injury rates were measured before and after weaning. Results of this study indicated that announcement of enrichment and not enrichment alone significantly increased play behaviour after weaning.

Nosing Around: Play in Pigs

“…The application of species-specific enrichment (e.g., rope, straw, compost) can increase natural behaviors of chewing and rooting while simultaneously reducing aggressive social behavior and harmful stereotypic behavior. In fact, research has shown that merely conditioning pigs to the anticipation of enrichment (i.e., doorbell ring) can be used to facilitate play behavior in piglets (Dudink, Simonse, Marks, de Jonge, & Spruijt, 2006;de Jonge, Boleij, Baars, Dudink, & Spruijt, 2008). Encouraging pigs to scamper, interact with their environment, and socialize with peers does not require great effort -but often results in great rewards.…”

The role of predictability in the stress response of a cichlid fish

“…48]. This is the case in a number of studies where predictable schedules for positive events is reported as positive and where time period between the signal and the event was only of some seconds [49,50]. However, in studies of temporal predictability (fixed times) or when the time span between the signal and the expected event is longer (from minutes to hours), this may induce expectation, frustration and indeed some loss of control (and, thus, unpredictability).…”

Editorial: Concepts of Animal Welfare

“…In line with this, the dynamic interaction between stress and reward is more often considered as a way to understand how activation of rewardsystems may be beneficial in regulating the stress response and thus welfare (see e.g. Dudink et al 2006;Van der Harst et al 2005). Donald Broom concludes his account in this issue with the positively connoted observation that the ,,diversity of animal welfare science is increasing and the expansion is likely to continue''.…”