The effect of farrowing environment and previous experience on the maternal behaviour of sows in indoor pens and outdoor huts

Abstract

Outdoor farrowing huts facilitate a less restricted maternal behaviour in sows compared with sows kept indoors in farrowing pens. The aim of our study was to investigate whether there are behavioural differences between primiparous sows kept outdoors in farrowing huts and indoors in pens, and whether the maternal behaviour during the second parity, when all sows were kept outdoors in farrowing huts, would differ between sows that have experienced the indoor or the outdoor environment, respectively, during their first parturition. A total of 26 Yorkshire × Swedish Landrace sows were studied. Of these, 11 sows were housed outdoors in farrowing huts during both parturitions (group = OUTOUT). The other 15 sows were kept indoors in a barn with single farrowing pens during their first parturition. During their second parturition, sows were kept outdoors in farrowing huts (group = INOUT). The behaviour was video recorded from 2 h prepartum to 48 h postpartum. The sows' responsiveness to playbacks of a piglet's screams was tested on days 2 to 3 postpartum. Parity 1: during the last 2 h prepartum, OUTOUT sows had a higher proportion of observations in the sternal lying position ( P < 0.01). During parturition, OUTOUT sows changed posture more often ( P < 0.05) and were lying less ( P < 0.05) than INOUT sows. All sows in both groups responded with 'lifting head' towards the playback of piglet scream, whereas 100% of OUTOUT sows and only 43% of INOUT sows thereafter were 'getting up' ( P < 0.01). Parity 2: There were no behavioural differences between INOUT and OUTOUT sows. In conclusion, it is not problematic for a second parity sow with initial maternal experience from an indoor farrowing pen to be kept outdoors in farrowing huts during its following farrowing.

Sow free farrowing behaviour: Experiential, seasonal and individual variation

“…This may also be true post-partum, as the maternal behaviour of previously crated and penned sows remained dissimilar when subsequently housed in the same farrowing system (Thodberg et al, 2002b), demonstrating that prior confinement may impact the development of sow farrowing behaviour. However, no differences in pre-partum or maternal behaviours were observed amongst outdoor sows which were previously housed outdoors or in indoor pens (Wülbers-Mindermann et al, 2015). Whilst the majority of commercial sows return to the same farrowing system throughout their reproductive life, some farms move sows between farrowing systems in consecutive parities, especially as interest in alternatives to conventional farrowing crates increases and new systems are trialled or adopted.…”