Wk 13: Species focus: Pig Flashcards
Who lives in small (matriarchal) boar social groups?
Sows
Mature daughters
Young
When do mature males join the matriarchal boar group?
During breeding season
Boars are primarly nocturn but how much time do they spend foraging per day?
up to 8 hours
What kind of environment do boars live in?
Shruv
Woodland
Social, spatial and temporal seasons
How long before farrowing do boars start building a nest?
1-2 days before
What is the size of a typical boar litter?
4-6 piglets
When do piglets start to follow the sow boar out of the nest?
from 9 days
When does the sow return to the boar group with her piglets?
10-14 days after farrowing
What are the behavioural characteristics of that species?
(Ethogram = inventory of behaviours of an animal)
Extensive, semi-natural conditions allow for greater range of species-typical behaviour
What is an abnormal behaviour of a sow?
Bar-biting in gestating sow
How does the behaviour of modern pigs in semi-natural conditions differ from wild boars?
Less active
Less dominance-related aggression
Less predator-vigiliant
What behavioural repertoire do modern pigs in semi-natural conditions share with wild boars in a social aspect?
Family groups
Monitor others
Social-rank relationships
Foraging home range overlaps with others
What behavioural repertoire do modern pigs in semi-natural conditions share with wild boars in a reproductive aspect?
Sow separates from group: 1-2 days
Nest building: starts 15h before farrowing
Sow leaving the nest: day 2
Piglets introduced to group: from day 9
Weaning gradual but complete at 16 weeks
What are the two main welfare problems in pigs?
Farrowing in crates
Tail biting
What are the main welfare issues of dry sows?
Feeding restricted during gestation
Aggression (feeding/mixing)
What are the main welfare issues of lactating sows?
Crushing
Sows (up to 240kg)/Piglets (1kg at birth)
Farrowing crates
What are the advantages of farrowing crates?
Less crushing of piglets
Stockperson can easily view, treat and clean
Safer
What are the physical welfare issues of farrowing crates?
UTI
Sores/injuries from pens
Slat-induced foot problems
Weaker bones & muscles
What are the behavioural welfare issues of farrowing crates?
Stereotypies
Apathy
Poor postural changes
No nest-building
No getting away
What are the physiological welfare issues of farrowing crates?
Higher baseline cortisol
Increased levels of stillbriths
Why does a sow not able to get away matter?
Confined to piglets
Cannot leave, move or turn
Difficult to limit suckling stimulation to limit milk consumption
What do crated sows have increased levels of 4 weeks after lactation?
cortisol
Get-away farrowing pens: How soon do sows try to decrease the proportion of time spent with the piglets?
Second week after lactation
Get-away farrowing pens compared to crates
Reduced milk production
Less weight loss during lactation
Quicker return to oestrus after weaning
As milk production decreased in get-away farrowing pens, how did this affect the piglets?
Piglets ate more solid food - better prepared for weaning
What is the key problem with get-away pens?
Higher mortality due to crushing
How much of the UK herd is house in an outdoor system?
40% of UK herd
What is the benefit of an outdoor system?
Promote natural behaviour such as nest building
What are the consequences of tail biting?
- Pain, secondary infection, cannibalism
- Impaired growth, death, condemnation of the carcass
- Economic losses
- Stress
What are the economic losses relating to tail-biting?
- (estimated £3.5mil (2003)
- Low grade (3-5%) of pigs may be affected each week
- 1% require euthanasia and similar proportion are condemned at slaughter (referred to as pyaemia on a condemnation sheet)
- Cost to a 300 sow breeder feeder farm can be £140,000 per year (140 pigs lost per year) + costs of treatment, care, isolation and lost growth
What is this picture showing?
Pyaemia
What is this picture showing?
Lung abscesses
What is this picture showing?
Suppurative osteomyelitis in pig carcass
What are the solutions available to avoid pig biting?
Tail docking
Straw provision
How many pigs % are docked?
80% have docked tails
How many pigs % are docked?
80% have docked tails
What is the act that regulates tail docking of pigs?
Mutilations (Permitted Procedures)(England) Regulations 2007
In terms of tail docking, how old must the pig be in order to receive anaesthetic and additional prolonged analgesia?
Afed 7 days or older
According to the legislation, how must tail docking be carried out?
Does not have to be done by a vet
Must be done ina quick manner and involve complete severance of the tail
When may pig tail docking be carried out?
Only be carried out where measures to improve environmental conditions or management system have first been taken to prevent tail-biting, but there is still evidence to show that injury to pigs’ tails by biting has occurred
What is a vet’s role in pig tail docking?
What are the risk factors associated with tail-biting if the pigs always have straw and it is of good quality?
Decrease the likelihood
What are the risk factors associated with suboptimal straw and a pig that had straw at an early age but no longer does?
Increase likelihood
Why is straw associated with less tail-biting?
- Pigs are highly motivated to forage and explore = ie. rooting, nosing, chewing
- Noising each other often leads to tail biting
List the epidemiological data on risk factors of tail biting:
Health
Ventilation/Bedding management
Objects - enrichment
Tail variation
Waster flow and Acess
How can a pigs health be a factor in tail-biting?
How can ventilation and bedding management be a risk factor of tail biting?
How can objects - enrichment be a factor of tail biting?
How can tail variation be a risk factor of tail-biting?
How can water flow and access be a risk factor of tail-biting?
List the qualities of the enrichment object to reduce tail biting
Clean
Attacked
Destructible
Regularly rotated/ replaced
How do you ensure that enrichment objects remain clean?
Washed
Rotated
Attached to ceiling or sides
Why would you want enrichment objects to be attached?
Cleaner
Active areas not lying areas
Why would you want to ensure that enrichment objects are readily available?
Less competition
Less agonistic behaviour
More pigs occupied
Why would you want to ensure that the enrichment objects are destructible?
Increase interest and occupation
Change in: size, shape and movement
Chewable as well as rootable
Why would you want to regularly rotate/replace enrichment objects?
Rarely found on farms
Keep objects cleaner
Makes objects novel and interesting again
What are the husbandry issues to look out for as risk factors for tail-biting on farms?
What are the early signs/indicators of tail-biting problems on farms?
What are the 3 likely types of tail biting?
- Boredom/Metabolic balance
- Frustration
- Fanatic pigs
How can boredom and metabolic balance be a type of tail-biting?
How can frustration be a type of tail-biting?
What is a fanatic tail biter?
