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Welfare > Lecture 10 - Swine Behaviour and Welfare > Flashcards

Lecture 10 - Swine Behaviour and Welfare Flashcards

1
Q

How can you tell when a sow is in heat?

A

Discharge from the vulva after pressure is applied to the abdomen??

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2
Q

What are the stages in the life of production sows?

A
  • Mating unit
  • Gestation unit
  • Farrowing unit
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3
Q

What are the stages in the life of rearing pigs?

A
  • Farrowing unit (or culled sows)
  • Weaning unit
  • Rearing unit
  • Sent to slaughter or returned to the mating unit
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4
Q

How long is the mating unit?

A

4-7 days

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5
Q

How long is the gestation unit?

A

114 days

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6
Q

How long is the farrowing unit?

A

21-28 days

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7
Q

What are the reasons for stereotypies during gestation?

A
  • Chronic hunger
  • Lack of control over environment
  • Restriction of movement due to being caged
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8
Q

What causes chronic hunger in sows during gestation?

A

Their diet being controlled - reduced fiber intake.

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9
Q

How does fiber in diet impact stereotypies in sows?

A

Adding high amounts of fiber to the diet of pregnant sows decreases stereotypies.

Ad libitum access to a fibrous diet can reduce hunger significantly.

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10
Q

What is the consequence of feeding sows an ad libitum high fiber diet?

A

Significant weight gain.

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11
Q

Why must a sow’s diet be controlled during gestation?

A

Sows gain weight during gestation which causes problems during farrowing?

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12
Q

What is the problem with gestation crates for sows?

A

The use of crates increases the frequency of stereotypies.

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13
Q

What should be considered when transitioning traditional gestation crates to new housing?

A
  • Evaluate production objectives (number of sows, space, etc)
  • Financial planning
  • Area (area per animal)
  • Group housing system
  • Installation design
  • Flooring
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14
Q

Why is there a delay between insemination (mating) and moving the sow to gestation housing?

A

Stress impacts implantation - it is best to limit stress until implantation is done.

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14
Q

Describe the types of group housing systems for sows during gestation.

A

Dynamic: For large groups over 80 animals, there is a continuous addition of sows into the group. More concerns of fighting when sows are added.

Static: All sows are placed together during the entire period. No mixing of sows during the gestation period. This prevents fighting during gestation as they will only fight for the first three days approx while they develop hierarchy. Need to be smaller groups (less than 50 animals) and cannot add new animals during the gestation period.

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14
Q

What is usually the biggest challenge when transitioning from old to new crates?

A

Finances

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15
Q

What factors are part of the installation design for sow gestation housing?

A
  • Pens
  • Divisions
  • Hospital
  • Resting area
  • Defecation area
  • Feeding area
  • Thermal comfort
  • Nebulization
  • Ventilation
  • Drinkers
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15
Q

What are the types of feeding systems for sows?

A
  • Food on the floor
  • Linear feeder
  • Minibox
  • Electronic feeding station (EFS)
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16
Q

What are the “easy” transition processes for sow housing?

A

Facilities

only need to be done right once

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17
Q

What are the “difficult” transition processes for sow housing?

A
  • Handling
  • Employees

must be done correctly every day

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18
Q

Why are employees such a big portion of the transition for sow housing?

A

They are used to checking crates. With the new housing processes, they need to use different checking methods and adapt to the new conditions.

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19
Q

What are some examples of things employees need to change when housing is transitioned for sows?

A
  • They need to understand the behaviour of the sows - in crates behaviour monitoring is not very possible.
  • Needs to monitor which sows are eating.
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20
Q

What are the pros of group sow housing?

A

Behavioural opportunities (movement and social interactions)

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21
Q

What are the cons of group sow housing?

A
  • Higher risk of pregnancy loss if mixing the sows between 7 – 24 days days post mating (embryo implantation period).
  • Increased fighting when mixing sows, and depending on feeding protocols.
  • Increased variation of body condition score.
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22
Q

What is the code of practice for sow housing during gestation?

A

Sows must be housed in one of the following ways:
- In groups
- In individual pens
- In stalls if they are provided with the opportunity to turn around or exercise periodically

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23
Q

What is the nesting behaviour of sows?

A
  • Occurs at the final phase of gestation.
  • Innate (internal motivation)
  • Provide protection, safety, comfort and thermoregulation to the piglets
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24
Q

What are the physiological welfare indicators associated with farrowing crates?

A

High cortisol concentrations

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25
Q

What does stress in farrowing pigs cause?

A

It increases farrowing duration which can cause an increased risk of piglet hypoxia.

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26
Q

What are the problems with farrowing crates for sows?

A
  • They compromise physical comfort before farrowing and during lactation.
  • Limits the sow’s ability to perform natural maternal behaviours.
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27
Q

What is the indoor group system of farrowing for sows?

A
  • Sows have access to individual pens to farrow.
  • Return to the group 7-10 days post farrowing.
  • Usually built in a deep bed.
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28
Q

What is the outdoor system of farrowing for sows?

A

Sows and their piglets are housed separately, outdoors in farrowing arks or huts with access to individual or group paddocks.

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29
Q

What is the simple individual pen in farrowing for sows?

A

An individual pen that takes up the same amount of space as farrowing crates but without the crate. Usually have 100% slatted flooring?

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30
Q

What is a designed individual pen in farrowing for sows?

A

A pen with defined areas for defecation, feeding, and resting. The resting area is solid so nesting material can be used. There is also other “furniture” included (rails, sloped walls, etc.) to assist with sow posture and protect piglets.

31
Q

What are the considerations for slatted flooring during farrowing for sows?

A

Slatted flooring allows the urine and defecation to be moved out of the housing area but gets stuck when nesting material is used.

32
Q

What are hinged or temporary crates in farrowing for sows?

A
  • Restrain the sow during the time when the piglets are the most susceptible to crushing.
  • The same dimensions for a conventional farrowing crate are used.
33
Q

When are the piglets most susceptible to crushing?

A

5-7 days post-farrowing.

34
Q

What are the dimensions of a conventional farrowing crate for sows?

A

Around 4m^2

35
Q

What are the factors of an ideal production system?

A
  • Increased animal welfare
  • Increased productivity
36
Q

Are piglet and sow welfare equal?

A

No

37
Q

What are the welfare considerations for farrowing crates?

A
  • Increased number of stillborn
  • Longer farrowing
  • Increased incidence of cannibalism
38
Q

How is sow welfare impacted in hinged farrowing crates?

A
  • More time exploring the environment
  • More time interacting with piglets
  • Less time idle
  • Did not differ in cortisol concentrations
  • Fewer teat injuries
39
Q

What are the time recommendations for sow farrowing crates?

A

Crate should be opened at 7 days.

40
Q

What are some painful procedures that piglets are subjected to?

A
  • Castration
  • Teeth clipping
  • Tail docking
41
Q

What is a mutilation?

A

The removal of a part of an animal’s body.

Causes pain and impacts welfare.

42
Q

Is teeth clipping painful?

A

Yes, studies indicate it is painful. Grinding is more painful than clipping.

43
Q

What procedure for teeth clipping is the most time consuming?

A

Grinding - it is also more painful than clipping.

44
Q

What is the root of the problem for teeth clipping?

A
  • Disputes between piglets over feeding
  • Insufficient amount of milk
45
Q

How can problems can be avoided rather than teeth clipping?

A
  • Correct management of the sow feed and comfort
  • Proper litter management (sow only has 14 teats, if the sow is farrowing more than 14 piglets, additional ones are removed and they are distributed to other sows that are farrowing less piglets)
46
Q

When do piglets establish hierarchy?

A

12-24 hours. The strongest piglet will take the best teat.

47
Q

What are the consequences of improper teeth clipping in piglets?

A
  • Dentin exposure (most sensitive part of the tooth)
  • Oral infections can enter the bloodstream and cause arthritis (articular infections)
48
Q

What are the codes of practice for teeth clipping in piglets?

A
  • Teeth clipping must only be done when necessary.
  • The pulp cavity must be avoided during tusk trimming.
49
Q

What is the traditional purpose of castration in pigs?

A

To prevent boar taint - a bad odour or taste that is associated with the meat of non-castrated males.

50
Q

How is castration generally done in pigs?

A

No use of anesthesia or analgesia.

51
Q

What are the behavioural changes in pigs caused by castration?

A
  • Reduction of udder-directed activities
  • Increased downtime
  • Behaviours indicative of pain (prostration, stiffness when walking, tremors during first few hours)
52
Q

What is the problem with giving meloxicam after pig castration?

A

The procedure itself is painful - medication given after does not help with that.

53
Q

What is immunocastration?

A

Androsterone and skatole production is inhibited due to the stimulated production of antibodies against GnRH. This prevents boar taint.

54
Q

When do the injections for immunocastration need to be administered?

A

2 injections are needed.

1st injection needs to be done 8-10 weeks before slaughter.

2nd injection needs to be given 4 weeks before slaughter - this injection has the effect.

55
Q

What causes boar taint?

A

Androsterone and skatole

56
Q

What are the codes of practice for pig castration?

A

Castration performed after 10 days of age must be done with anesthetic and analgesic to help control pain.

Castration performed at any age must be done using analgesics to help control post-procedure pain.

57
Q

How is tail docking done in pigs?

A
  • Cutting off the final third of the tail without anesthesia or analgesia (most of the time)
  • It is conducted in neonatal piglets with clippers or cautery.
  • It is painful
58
Q

Why is tail docking done in pigs?

A

To prevent tail biting, i.e. tail cannibalism among animals

59
Q

What is the consequence of tail docking in pigs?

A
  • Limits the pigs ability to communicate.
  • Causes acute pain regardless of age.
  • Can cause chronic pain due to the formation of neuromas.
  • Susceptible to bacteria entering and can cause septicemia and arthritis.
60
Q

What is the progression of tail biting in pigs?

A
  • The behaviour starts with a pig taking the tail of another into its mouth and chewing on it lightly.
  • The tail biting attention becomes more severe and causes wounds on the tail.
  • The presence of wounds encourages more active tail biting, other pigs begin to chew on the damaged tail.
61
Q

Does tail docking solve the problem of tail biting in pigs?

A

No, the root of the problem is not the tail - it is the system.

62
Q

What factors can increase tail-biting?

A
  • Behavioural
  • Microbial?
  • Social
  • Physical
  • Nutritional
  • Immunological
  • Environmental
63
Q

How do chronic and acute risk factors contribute to tail biting in pigs?

A

Chronic stressors should be limited to reduce the chance that acute stressors will lead to tail biting.

Chronic stressors - stressors that are always present due to the environment.
Acute stressors - sudden changes.

64
Q

What are the codes of practice for tail docking in pigs?

A
  • Pigs must be routinely monitored for signs of tail-biting, and corrective action, as necessary, must be taken (e.g. assess possible contributing factors; remove tail-biter; add rooting and/or physical enrichment).
  • Tail docking of pigs over 7 days of age must be done with pain control.
  • Tail-docking performed at any age must be done with analgesics to help control post-procedure pain.
65
Q

What is ear notching?

A

Notching is the removal of part of the pinna following a defined pattern.

66
Q

What are the consequences of ear notching?

A

Causes immediate pain.

67
Q

What are alternatives to ear notching?

A
  • Tattoo
  • Tagging
68
Q

How are tattoos used for pigs?

A

Application of permanent ink through small holes that form a combination of numbers, letters or both brings permanent identification of the individual.

69
Q

What is tagging for pigs?

A

Tagging involves ear piercing to allow the placement of an identification.

70
Q

What is the limitation for tagging in pigs?

A
  • The tag can be lost by widening the hole with the growth of the animal, by disputes, or by hooking the device somewhere.
  • In newborn piglets it is important to pay attention to the size of the tag (need to account for growth).
  • It causes pain until the hole heals, which takes about a week.
71
Q

What happens during the weaning unit for piglets?

A
  • Separated from the sow
  • Abrupt change in feed and water source
  • Transportation and handling stress
  • Social stress from regrouping with piglets from other litters
  • Different physical environment
72
Q

What are the welfare problems in the rearing unit for piglets?

A

There is a density issue, space is restricted.

  • Heat stress
  • Increased risk of disease
  • Decreased immune response and growth rate
  • Increases the dirtiness of pigs
  • Increases tail biting
73
Q

What are the codes of practice for pig rearing units?

A

Pigs must be housed at a space allowance of k ≥ 0.0335.

74
Q

How can density issues occur in rearing units?

A

Even if there is enough space when the pigs are placed in the unit, they will grow which can lead to space restriction if this is not accounted for.

75
Q

What is the k-value?

A

Floor space allowance is expressed using a k-value, which, when multiplied by a pig’s body weight (kg) 0.667, gives the floor surface area in m2.

The optimal k-value may change according to temperature, type of flooring and group size.

76
Q

How does k-value affect pigs?

A

Performance of nursery and growing/finishing pigs is negatively affected when k < 0.0335. At k < 0.039, growing/finishing pigs alter normal resting behaviours.

77
Q

What short-term decreases in space are allowed for pigs at the end of the production phase?

A
  • A decrease of up to 15% for nursery pigs and up to 10% for grower/finisher pigs is allowed.
  • A decrease of up to 20% for nursery pigs and up to 15% for grower/finisher pigs is allowed only if it is demonstrated that the higher densities do not compromise the welfare of the animals as determined by average daily gain, mortality, morbidity and treatment records, as well as the absence of or no increase in vices such as tail-biting.

Welfare (16 decks)

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