Effects of maternal artificial vocalization on hyperprolific lactating sows and piglets behavior

Abstract

The objective of this trial was to evaluate the behavioral patterns and performance of lactating sows and their litters under the effect of artificial vocalization. Twenty-eight sows and their litters were distributed in a completely randomized design in a 2x2 factorial scheme (artificial vocalization x lactation week). The behavior of the animals was monitored during 24 hours on the 7 th and 15 th days of lactation, analyzing the number, interval, and frequency of nursings. The body condition and performance of the sows were also evaluated. Artificial vocalization promoted higher frequencies of eating for sow and nursing for piglets (P <0.05), increased inactive sow behavior (P <0.05), and reduced sow alert in activity (P <0.05). The number and duration of suckling sessions at the 15 th day of lactation were reduced (P <0.05). The use of artificial vocalization did not affect the body condition or milk production of the lactating sows, or the performance of the litter during lactation (P> 0.05). The use of maternal artificial vocalization during lactation of sows promoted greater lactation efficiency and longer rest time, favoring the sows' welfare.

Season effects on the suckling behavior of piglets

“…Within the expected behavior of the piglets, the feeding behavior is directly related to the consumption of milk and, consequently, to the survival rate and the performance of the litter until weaning. This behavior has been evaluated based on the number, interval, and duration of feedings (Moreira et al 2018) and represents an interesting indicator of the comfort and wellbeing of piglets during lactation.…”

“…Studies that evaluated the behavior of piglets stress the importance of management effects, considering the type and housing system (Singh et al 2017, Goumon et al 2018, fiber supplementation on pre-weaning diets (Clouard et al 2018), the social environment and interaction of litters (Hong et al 2017), and artificial vocalization (Khonmee et al 2018, Moreira et al 2018. However, the effects of the thermal environment on the suckling behavior of piglets have hardly been explored, although such a characterization of the feeding behavior could serve as the basis for the idealization of strategies (environmental change, sow diet alterations, and animals handling) to ensure an adequate consumption of milk by the piglets, maximizing their survival and performance.…”

Development of Agrarian Sciences at the AABC with comments on impact and performance evaluations

“…Back to Agrarian Sciences, the articles published in AABC-90.4 address several topics, from the effects of artificial vocalization on the behavior of piglets (Moreira et al 2018) and diversity of insects in olive trees (Wolff et al 2018), to the exploration of fruits from the Atlantic forest (Souza et al 2018). I performed a survey of the 49 papers of this issue presented by JCR-2019 to determine their contribution to the IF of the AABC.…”