TY - JOUR
T1 - Pregnant gilt behavior in outdoor and indoor intensive pork production systems
AU - Dailey, Jeffery W.
AU - McGlone, John J.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank Stanley Harris and the staff at the New Deal Swine Unit for their care of the animals involved in this study. We thank Drs. C.S. Whisnant and K. Launchbaugh for reviewing the manuscript. This work was supported by Texas Tech University line item for efficient pork production, the Texas Department of Agriculture and PIC, Inc. Texas Tech University manuscript number T-5-350.
PY - 1997/3
Y1 - 1997/3
N2 - The behavior of three genotypes of gilts were compared in an English-style intensive outdoor production system or an intensive indoor system, each operated on a common production schedule. The genotypes investigated were PIC Camborough-15 (C-15); PIC Camborough-Blue (CB); and York x Landrace (YL). Behavior as defined and recorded were mutually exclusive, including: chewing, rooting, standing, sitting, drinking, rubbing, walking, and for outdoor gilts wallowing and grazing. No significant main effects of genotype were found. Gilts kept outdoors were more active and spent more time chewing objects, with less time sitting than gilts indoors. The oral/nasal chewing observed in confined, pregnant pigs was much lower in frequency than similar environment-directed oral/nasal behaviors observed outdoors. Genotypes did not differ in behavior; however, the genotype by environment interaction was significant for lying (resting) behaviors. Outdoor-kept gilts spent less time lying than indoor gilts, but the effect was less pronounced for C-15 than for CB or YL, genotypes. The few significant genotype and genotype by environment interactions indicated that these genotypes generally express similar behavior. However, the outdoor environment seemed to induce more oral/nasal behaviors than the indoor production system.
AB - The behavior of three genotypes of gilts were compared in an English-style intensive outdoor production system or an intensive indoor system, each operated on a common production schedule. The genotypes investigated were PIC Camborough-15 (C-15); PIC Camborough-Blue (CB); and York x Landrace (YL). Behavior as defined and recorded were mutually exclusive, including: chewing, rooting, standing, sitting, drinking, rubbing, walking, and for outdoor gilts wallowing and grazing. No significant main effects of genotype were found. Gilts kept outdoors were more active and spent more time chewing objects, with less time sitting than gilts indoors. The oral/nasal chewing observed in confined, pregnant pigs was much lower in frequency than similar environment-directed oral/nasal behaviors observed outdoors. Genotypes did not differ in behavior; however, the genotype by environment interaction was significant for lying (resting) behaviors. Outdoor-kept gilts spent less time lying than indoor gilts, but the effect was less pronounced for C-15 than for CB or YL, genotypes. The few significant genotype and genotype by environment interactions indicated that these genotypes generally express similar behavior. However, the outdoor environment seemed to induce more oral/nasal behaviors than the indoor production system.
KW - Behavior
KW - Indoor
KW - Pig
KW - Welfare
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0030949319&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01100-8
DO - 10.1016/S0168-1591(96)01100-8
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0030949319
VL - 52
SP - 45
EP - 52
JO - Applied Animal Behaviour Science
JF - Applied Animal Behaviour Science
SN - 0168-1591
IS - 1-2
ER -