Lecture 18: Species Specific Behaviour (pigs) pt2 Flashcards
What are the resting and sleeping behaviours that are seen in pigs?
Standing/lying
-Terms describing body position in relation to the ground
Drowsing
-State of wakefulness with light sleep with head movement and eye closure
Resting
-Rest is taken in a recumbent posture; reduced energy utilization (lower level in wild)
Sleeping (70-80% in some housing)
-Defined by brain changes and loss of behavioural responses to many stimuli
-Minor leg movements can occur
-Side position or on their belly
How do pigs cope with the environment?
Pigs are exposed to a wide variety of external factors (indoor and outdoor)
Low temp
-See nesting slide, young piglets are susceptible to hypothermia
High temperature
-Increased respiration/water intake
-Decreased activity
-Lying in cool places/shade seeking
-Wallowing (in mud is an effective behavioural control mechanism in pigs to prevent hypothermia)
TRUE OR FALSE: pigs have lots of sweat glands to facilitate heat loss by evaporation.
FALSE
-They have A LIMITED number of sweat glands which is why they wallow to help cool themselves down since they don’t really sweat
Why is wallowing in pigs an important behavioural other than for heat loss?
-Removal of parasites
-Prevent hypothermia
-Can have problem with sunburns, so mud can almost act as sunscreen providing an extra layer for the skin
What is a summary of the general characteristics of pigs?
-Social animals, maternal groups, form stable hierarchies based on age/size (should be thinking about pig park here) they have individual recognition based on smell and memory even after weeks separation
-Vocalisation/communication (such as sow lactation grunts which transfer info concerning the milk ejection during a suckling episode, begging calls, contact grunts, boar courtship vocalization, warning calls)
-Omnivores, food searching by rooting, grazing, browsing min of 6-8 hours per day
-Diurnal activity patterns, motivated to explore and find food themselves
-Pigs keep their resting/lying area clean and dry
What were some important concepts form the ‘natural behaviour of pigs inherited from their wild ancestors’ video?
-Wild boars used to wallow, before farrowing find grass/leaves and make a nest, gives birth separate from group, 5-6w returns to group
-Looked a lot different, long legs, darker, hair, more lean looking
-Space for foraging for dry sows or can show stereotypes which can be a flustered foraging behaviour
-avoid aggression involving management during feeding time or individual feeding
-Nesting before farrowing, stress hormones can build up affecting birth want to have pigs with good mothering abilities
-Weaning ages and piglet health, can’t regulate heat production and can see digestive problems in piglets weaned too early
-Avoid tail biting, starts as playing but can get worse, provide some enrichment and avoid overcrowding
How is breeding done with pigs? How are the males involved?
-Usually done by AI but uses a male as the stimulus visual contact and uses a back pressure test
-Starts 5-7d after weaning
-Mature boar physical contact can induce standing reflex
-Sows are kept in the mating until 4w after weaning to confirm that they are pregnant
What are some behaviours associated with mating?
Sow behaviour in oestrus
-Restlessness during feeding
-Not setting down after feeding
-Frequently producing small quantities of urine
-Sniffing the vulva of other pigs
-Smelling boar taint
TRUE OR FALSE: Humans can trigger only the standing reflex during 2nd part, the 1st and 3rd can only be triggered by the boar.
TRUE
what are farrowing pens?
-Some days before birth sows are moved to the farrowing pen
-Pigs stay during farrowing and until weaning (between 2-5w)
-Solid floor for piglets
-heated area (lamp or mat for piglets)
-Railings, with to without piglet corner
-Prevents sow from turning around
-Management important or else can make more difficult than crate
What is purpose of housing sows for individual confinement?
-Sows can sit, lay down, stand, walk a few steps back and forth but can’t turn around
-Sows deprived of rating, exploring, rooting, nest building, socializing which are nightly motivated behaviours
-Will get frustrated in crate since they can’t avoid areas that are cold/uncomfortable lead to aggression to cope
What are some behaviours seen in individual housing systems?
-Excessive drinking
-dog sit
-sham chewing
What are stereotypies?
-Periodic, predictable or regular dynamics
-Apparently functionless (compared to functional=adaptive= unpredictable ie FP)
-Suggests frustration of highly motivated behaviours
-Relationship of sterotpy to the lack of complexity or variability in experience and environment (ex following early material depravation, social isolation or restraint)
-Expression varies among individuals
What are the 3 welfare criteria that are restricting sows from individual stalls?
Naturalness
-Restriction of oral and social behaviour (rooting, roaming, socializing which are all highly motivating)
Physical
-Lack of exercise which increases risk of cardio fitness and bone strength
-Mouth injuries from bar biting (even gastric ulcers)
Mental
-Little control over environment (inability to avoid wet, cold lying area, aggressive neighbour)
-Leading to frustration, distress, pain from injuries
-Apathy (low or no emotions)
What are weaners?
-25-30kg pigs (weaners) are moved to rearing pens until slaughter
-Weight to slaughter: 80-120kg or 5-6months depending on production and country
