Behavioural development of pigs with different coping characteristics in barren and substrate-enriched housing conditions

Bolhuis, J.E.; Schouten, W.G.P.; Schrama, J.W.; Wiegant, V.M.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2005.01.006

Cited by 176 publications

(169 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Pigs housed on straw bedding dedicate most of their active time to straw-directed foraging behaviours such as nosing, rooting and chewing (Beattie et al, 2000;Bolhuis et al, 2005). The high activity level of straw-housed pigs on the PS diet may therefore have reflected an increase in foraging behaviour, possibly due to decreased interprandial satiety as compared with straw-housed/NS-fed pigs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of fermentable starch and straw-enriched housing on energy partitioning of growing pigs

Bolhuis

Brand

Staals³

et al. 2008

Animal

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Both dietary fermentable carbohydrates and the availability of straw bedding potentially affect activity patterns and energy utilisation in pigs. The present study aimed to investigate the combined effects of straw bedding and fermentable carbohydrates (native potato starch) on energy partitioning in growing pigs. In a 2 3 2 factorial arrangement, 16 groups of 12 pigs (approximately 25 kg) were assigned to either barren housing or housing on straw bedding, and to native or pregelatinised potato starch included in the diet. Pigs were fed at approximately 2.5 times maintenance. Nitrogen and energy balances were measured per group during a 7-day experimental period, which was preceded by a 30-day adaptation period. Heat production and physical activity were measured during 9-min intervals. The availability of straw bedding increased both metabolisable energy (ME) intake and total heat production (P , 0.001). Housing conditions did not affect total energy retention, but pigs on straw bedding retained more energy as protein (P , 0.01) and less as fat (P , 0.05) than barren-housed pigs. Average daily gain (P , 0.001), ME intake (P , 0.001) and energy retention (P , 0.01) were lower in pigs on the native potato starch diet compared to those on the pregelatinised potato starch diet. Pigs on the pregelatinised potato starch diet showed larger fluctuations in heat production and respiration quotient over the 24-h cycle than pigs on the native potato starch diet, and a higher activity-related energy expenditure. The effect of dietary starch type on activity-related heat production depended, however, on housing type (P , 0.05). In barren housing, activity-related heat production was less affected by starch type (16.1% and 13.7% of total heat production on the pregelatinised and native potato starch diet, respectively) than in strawenriched housing (21.1% and 15.0% of the total heat production on the pregelatinised and native potato starch diet, respectively). In conclusion, the present study shows that the availability both of straw bedding and of dietary starch type, fermentable or digestible, affects energy utilisation and physical activity of pigs. The effects of housing condition on protein and fat deposition suggest that environmental enrichment with long straw may result in leaner pigs. The lower energy expenditure on the physical activity of pigs on the native potato starch diet, which was the most obvious in straw-housed pigs, likely reflects a decrease in foraging behaviour related to a more gradual supply of energy from fermentation processes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of fermentable starch and straw-enriched housing on energy partitioning of growing pigs

Bolhuis

Brand

Staals³

et al. 2008

Animal

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“…A broad behavioural ethogram was used (Table 1) to characterise the piglet types. This ethogram was partly based on descriptions of pig behaviours from earlier studies (Zonderland et al, 2004;Bolhuis et al, 2005) and partly on the visibility of the piglets' behaviour. This behaviour involved a penmate whose identity was recorded.…”

Section: Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of biter and victim piglets apparent before a tail-biting outbreak

Zonderland

Schepers

Bracke

et al. 2011

Animal

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Little is known about the characteristics of biters and victims before the appearance of a tail-biting outbreak in groups of pigs. This study aimed to characterise biters and victims (according to gender and performance) and to quantify their behavioural development during the 6 days preceding the tail-biting outbreak. The hypotheses tested were: (a) biters are more often female, are the lighter pigs in the group, are more restless and perform more aggressive behaviour; and (b) victims are more often male, heavier and less active. Using video recordings we carried out a detailed study of 14 pens with a tail-biting outbreak among the weaned piglets. All piglets were individually marked and we observed the behaviour of biters, victims and control piglets (piglet types). In every pen, each piglet type was observed every other day from 6 days before (D 26 ) to the day of the first visible tail damage (i.e. day of tail biting outbreak; D 0 ). While the number of male biters (6 of the 14 biters) and male victims (11 of the 14 victims) was not significantly different ( P 5 0.13), this numerical contrast was considerable. The start weight of victims was significantly ( P 5 0.03) higher (8.6 kg) than those of biters (7.5 kg) and control piglets (8.0 kg). Biters tended ( P 5 0.08) to spend longer sitting/kneeling (3.1 min/h) than controls (1.7 min/h), but no differences were seen in the time spent lying or standing. Victims tended ( P 5 0.07) to change posture more often (restlessness) than controls and chased penmates more ( P 5 0.04) than biters. Victims also performed more ( P 5 0.04) aggressive behaviour than biters and controls. In contrast, biters tended ( P 5 0.08) to be chased by penmates more often and tended ( P 5 0.06) to receive more aggressive behaviour than controls. Furthermore, biters spent longer manipulating the enrichment device ( P 5 0.01) and the posterior/tail ( P 5 0.02) of their penmates than controls and tended ( P 5 0.06) to perform more tail bites than victims. Victims received more posterior/tail manipulation ( P 5 0.02) and tail bites ( P 5 0.04) than controls. It was also noticed that, independent of piglet type, restlessness ( P 5 0.03) increased and the frequency of performed tail bites tended ( P 5 0.08) to increase in the 6 days preceding a tail-biting outbreak. These findings may contribute to the early identification of biters or victims and support the development of strategies to minimise the occurrence of tail biting.

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“…Experimental animals were oVspring of 21 sows per batch that had been purchased for the breeding of piglets for another experiment (Bolhuis et al 2005b). One week prior to the expected date of farrowing, sows were housed in farrowing pens with removable crates (2.2 £ 3.8 m, 65% solid and 35% slatted Xoor).…”

Section: Pre-weaning Housing Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Particularly the lack of a suitable substrate as an outlet for the performance of exploratory activities, such as nosing, rooting and chewing, negatively aVects pig behaviour. For instance, play behaviour, which may contribute to the development of adaptive cognitive skills and behavioural Xexibility (Lewis 2000;Spinka et al 2001), was observed three times less in barren-housed than in enriched-housed pigs (Bolhuis et al 2005b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In contrast, both in a social and non-social context, LR pigs Xexibly altered their behaviour patterns when appropriate 2005a). Moreover, the impact of a barren environment as opposed to enriched housing diVered between LR and HR pigs, with larger eVects of environmental conditions on behaviour and physiology in LR pigs (Bolhuis et al 2003(Bolhuis et al , 2005b(Bolhuis et al , 2006. Hence, the two 'types' of pig at either end of the distribution diVer in their response to a wide range of challenging conditions later in life Geverink et al 2003;Hessing et al 1994;Ruis et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Spatial learning in pigs: effects of environmental enrichment and individual characteristics on behaviour and performance

et al. 2008

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This study investigated the eVects of both environmental enrichment and individual behavioural characteristics on spatial cognitive capabilities of pigs, using a novel latent spatial learning paradigm based on Tolman's detour experiments (1948). Pigs were housed either in 'barren' pens or in pens enriched with straw bedding from birth. Pigs were restrained in a Backtest at 10 and 17 days postpartum. Based on their escape behaviour in this test, which has been shown to reXect their behavioural style, six 'high-resisting'(HR) and six 'low-resisting' (LR) pigs were selected from each housing environment (n = 24 in total). At 12 weeks of age, pairs of pen mates (LR and HR) were exposed to a maze three times (exploration trials). Pigs were then placed individually in the maze, and social reinstatement proved to be a strong incentive to Wnd the exit leading to the home pen. We subsequently blocked the direct route to the exit, forcing animals to Wnd a detour (memory test 1, MT1). This test was repeated once to investigate the relative improvement, i.e. detour learning (memory test 2, MT2). Housing condition and Backtest response strongly aVected exploration patterns. In spite of this, no eVects on performance during the subsequent memory tests were found. Performance was substantially improved in MT2, indicating that once a goal is apparent, pigs are able to solve a complex spatial memory task easily. In conclusion, social reinstatement provided a good incentive to complete a spatial task, and the substantial improvement in performance between MT1 and MT2 stresses the need for task complexity when testing spatial memory in pigs. Housing conditions or individual behavioural style did not aVect spatial memory during MT1 or MT2. However, housing environment and behavioural style strongly aVected explorative behaviour of pigs in an unfamiliar maze during both exploration trials and memory tests. This implicates that apparent eVects of environmental enrichment on spatial learning and memory in pigs might reXect diVerences in explorative patterns rather than in cognitive processes.

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Behavioural development of pigs with different coping characteristics in barren and substrate-enriched housing conditions

Cited by 176 publications

References 47 publications

Effects of fermentable starch and straw-enriched housing on energy partitioning of growing pigs

Effects of fermentable starch and straw-enriched housing on energy partitioning of growing pigs

Characteristics of biter and victim piglets apparent before a tail-biting outbreak

Spatial learning in pigs: effects of environmental enrichment and individual characteristics on behaviour and performance

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