Lecture 17: Species Specific Behaviour (pigs) pt1 Flashcards
What are domestic pigs?
-Independently domesticated
-Descended from the wild boar
-Omnivorous forest dwellers
-Spend most of their active time foraging
-Very social so safe/easy to handle
-Had longer legs, dark skin pigment which helped with the sun
What happened in early domestication?
-Pigs natural behaviour was seen as beneficial
-Pigs existed in extensive habitats on the periphery of human settlements
-Lives in social groups, produced large amounts of offspring, ate wide range of food, make use of human food waste
How were breeds developed?
-Tired to improve local pig production so imported pigs from Asian countries with good mothering instinct. Also has lean meat better meat quality
-VS the white breed, most widely used breed originated from the UK
-Different breeds include, Duroc, Meishan (asian breed), large white (European)
What are some breeds of pigs that adapted to the environment?
Iberian pigs: Adapted for hot climates, local breed, darker skin to protect against sun, smaller, more effective for heat loss
Mangalicas: Thick curly hair for cold climates, increase fat as insulator
What happened at the later domestication stage of production?
-Adaptability to different diets and habits lead to “industrialization of agriculture” in 50s and 60s
-From the mid 1970s onwards, more concerns for pig welfare and environment emerged
Who were the 2 “pioneers of animal welfare” for ‘natural’ behaviour of pigs?
-Dr. David Wood-Gush one of the pioneers of animal welfare/applied animal ethology, studied species specific behaviour in domesticated animals
-Dr. Konrad Lorenz Austrian zoologist, ethologist that inspired generations
What was the “pig park” a study of?
-How domesticated pigs behave in the habitat of their wild ancestors
-late 1970s and early 80s David wood-gush and others studied the “natural” behaviour of domestic pigs in a semi-natural environment the Edinburgh pigs park
Summary
-when behaviour of wild boar and domestic pig are compared, very few differences are apparent (quantitative rather qualitative)
-Lots of oral behaviour, engage in complex social behaviour, very clean poop outside of bed area
What was the follow up project to the ‘pig park’?
-Family pen system for pig production this new accommodation included:
-Manure area
-Rooting area
-Activity area
-Nesting area
-Individual sow feeding stalls
-Questioned other welfare problems and found that neonatal death rates were high by commercial stands due to injury (sow crushing) or exposure (cold weather)
-High labour requirements, lack of control over breeding/weaning etc
-Tried but encountered many issues by keeping lots of animals in small enclosure
What are species-specific behaviour of pigs in extensively kept domestic pigs?
-Activity patterns/habitat use
-Foraging/feeding behaviour
-Comfort behaviour
-Social behaviour
-Reproductive behaviour
-Studying domestic pigs in extensive environments provide comparative info on behaviour that pigs might be motivated to perform in captive environments/human-managed systems
What are activity patterns and habitat use in feral/extensively kept pigs?
-Typically 2 peaks of activity
-Feral pigs/wild boar shift activity periods in response to temp/hunting; adapted twilight & nocturnal habits
-Depend on habitat, season, food availability, temp, predators
-Avoid day time activities, inactive during mid day
What are some habitat use in feral/extensively kept pigs?
-Functional areas
-Matriarchal dominance hierarchy (sows organize into groups with her little and males are solitary)
-Split into small groups to forage
-Rest and sleep in nesting areas- located in thickets; dig slight hollows in the ground before lying down
-Comfort behaviour; hot weather-shade/wallows; cold weather-huddle together for warmth; nesting material for insulation (keep in mind piglets have poor thermoregulation so important for housing systems)
What are some anatomical considerations for function in the pig?
-Salivary glands: parotid, mandibular, sub-lingual glands.
-Large intestine: spiral colon, liver
-Short thick neck muscular, long pointed head, massive muscles in jaw, short legs not good runners, put weight on 2 toes (each foot has 4 toes but 2 are higher on back Side of leg)
-Produces lots of saliva to breakdown what they eat
-Permanent teeth at 22 months, snout which serves as both shovel and delicate sensory organ (rooting/foraging)
What can behaviour be typified by?
-Body posture/position (rest/sleep)
-Body motion (locomotion to find food move from a-b)
What are the types of locomotion that pigs use?
-Walking: observed during feeding, exploring, wallowing, and marking
-Trotting: transverse long distances
-Galloping: short bursts (ex emergence; play) very energy intense can run 10-40 km but only for short time
-Swimming
How fast do piglets gain locomotion after being born?
-Piglets gain locomotor function within their first couple of hours stable gaits within 4
-Forelimbs are shorter and lighter which can be an injury risk
-In general domestic animals in human managed systems have a need for locomotion daily opportunities
