Factors affecting excretory behavior of pigs

Abstract

A 2(4) factorial experiment with six pens per treatment was conducted to examine the factors affecting the excretory behavior of growing-finishing pigs. The factors investigated were partition type (open or closed), pig density (9 or 14 pigs/pen, size: 2 m x 4.5 m), position of nipple drinker in the pen (back wall of the pen or side in front of slatted area), and prior experience of pigs (training or no training). A total of 1,104 pigs at a weight interval of 28.4 +/- .2 to 91.4 +/- .4 kg were used in this study. Pen cleanliness was assessed by a dung scoring system, and growth rate was determined over the growing-finishing period. Partition type, nipple drinker position, or prior training of pigs had no effect on growth rate. Stocking pigs at 14 pigs/pen reduced growth rate (P < .05) compared with 9 pigs/pen (.80 vs .83 kg/d). Significant differences for pen dirtiness were found for partition type. Pens with closed partitions were cleaner than those with open partitions (P = .0001) and pens became significantly dirtier as pigs grew older or heavier (P < .01). There was a significant interaction effect between pen partition and pig density as well as an interaction among pen partition, pig density, and water position (P < .05).

The welfare of growing pigs in five different production systems: assessment of feeding and housing

“…If possible, pigs excrete in a localized part of their pen and prefer to separate their dunging area from their lying area (Meunier-Salaü n, 1989;Hacker et al, 1994). If pigs are dirty with faeces, it is because some factors have temporarily forced them to lie in their excrement.…”

“…Older pigs spend more time lying and they are more likely to adopt a fully recumbent position (Ekkel et al, 2003). Moreover, several studies on pigs in conventional conditions have found that dunging on the solid floor increases when pigs are heavier (Hacker et al, 1994). Thereafter, a higher evaporative heat loss in heavy pigs in addition to a greater space occupational area may increase the probability of an older pig lying on a dunging area.…”

“…Bursitis has been widely studied either in epidemiological surveys (Mouttotou et al, 1999;Gillman et al, 2008) or in experimental conditions (Lyons et al, 1995;Scott et al, 2006). Prevalence of pig dirtiness has been compared between different types of flooring (Courboulay et al, 2003;Scott et al, 2006), and factors that affect excretory behaviour and lying behaviour have been identified under controlled conditions (Geers et al, 1986;Hacker et al, 1994). However, as it happens for huddling behaviour, pig dirtiness has been little studied under commercial conditions.…”

Management factors affecting mortality, feed intake and feed conversion ratio of grow-finishing pigs

“…However, in the current study we did not observe an effect of slatted floor percentage on MORT. In any case, the optimal proportion of slated floor should be related to the density of pigs in the pen, since pigs use specific areas of the pen to feed, rest and defecate, where resting in a dry and solid floor is a priority (Hacker et al, 1994). In addition, differences observed in FCR but not in MORT could be explained by the greater probability to lose feed through the slats leading to a greater feed wastage in pens with >50% slatted floor.…”

Development of automatic surveillance of animal behaviour and welfare using image analysis and machine learned segmentation technique

“…In Sweden, pens for pigs have a solid resting area, in contrast to most European countries where fully slatted floor pens are allowed (Mul et al, 2010). Defecation and urination will normally not occur in the resting area (Wechsler, 1996;Horsted et al, 2012) as animals prefer a warm lying area and a cooler area for dunging during normal and cold temperatures (Hacker et al, 1994). However, at warmer temperatures, pigs spend more time in cooler places in the pen, which is usually the dunging area (Botermans and Andersson, 1995).…”