TY - JOUR
T1 - An examination of behavioral, immunological and productive traits in four management systems for sows and piglets
AU - McGlone, John J.
AU - Blecha, Frank
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was made possible by a research grant from Humane Information Services. This research was conducted while J.J. McGlone was on faculty at the University of Wyoming and assisted by Cris Arnold-Meeks and Tom Heald. We thank Danielle Topliff and John Drezek for technical assistance. Texas Tech University College of Agriculture paper No. T-5-192 and Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station contribution No. 86-54-J.
PY - 1987/10
Y1 - 1987/10
N2 - Forty-one sows and litters were utilized in a multi-disciplinary evaluation of four common commercial housing systems for sows and piglets: (1) a standard crate (SC); (2) a modified or turnaround crate (TC); (3) a pen with an indoor and outdoor area (OP); (4) a straw-bedded hut on a lot (HL). HL litters had a higher incidence of still-births than OP litters. Litters raised in HL had higher mortality and weaned fewer and lighter pigs. Litters in TC had lower mortality than SC litters. Sow behavior data (such as sow feeding time) paralleled productivity data (number piglets weaned). Sows who spent more time showing oral behaviors towards bars pre-farrowing had larger litter sizes (r = 0.73, P <0.01). Sows who were less active (that is, moved while standing) pre-farrowing weaned more piglets (r=0.55, P<0.05). Sows who spent more time feeding weaned more pigs (r=0.57, P<0.05). Immunological data indicated that piglets in OP had higher white blood cell numbers and piglets in HL had lower antigen-induced blood antibody titers. Since litters in the TC had improved piglet survival compared with SC, a large-scale performance and economic-evaluation trial is in order to further study the system on commercial farms.
AB - Forty-one sows and litters were utilized in a multi-disciplinary evaluation of four common commercial housing systems for sows and piglets: (1) a standard crate (SC); (2) a modified or turnaround crate (TC); (3) a pen with an indoor and outdoor area (OP); (4) a straw-bedded hut on a lot (HL). HL litters had a higher incidence of still-births than OP litters. Litters raised in HL had higher mortality and weaned fewer and lighter pigs. Litters in TC had lower mortality than SC litters. Sow behavior data (such as sow feeding time) paralleled productivity data (number piglets weaned). Sows who spent more time showing oral behaviors towards bars pre-farrowing had larger litter sizes (r = 0.73, P <0.01). Sows who were less active (that is, moved while standing) pre-farrowing weaned more piglets (r=0.55, P<0.05). Sows who spent more time feeding weaned more pigs (r=0.57, P<0.05). Immunological data indicated that piglets in OP had higher white blood cell numbers and piglets in HL had lower antigen-induced blood antibody titers. Since litters in the TC had improved piglet survival compared with SC, a large-scale performance and economic-evaluation trial is in order to further study the system on commercial farms.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38249034343&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0168-1591(87)90222-X
DO - 10.1016/0168-1591(87)90222-X
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:38249034343
SN - 0168-1591
VL - 18
SP - 269
EP - 286
JO - Applied Animal Behaviour Science
JF - Applied Animal Behaviour Science
IS - 3-4
ER -