Piglets in Werribee farrowing pens explore more but eat less than those in farrowing crates
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
11-2009
Conference Title
Twelfth Biennial Conference of the Australasian Pig Science Association
Place of Publication
Cairns
ISBN
978-0-9806880-0-9
ISSN
1324 9177
Keywords
piglets, werribee farrowing pens, feed intake
Disciplines
Meat Science
Abstract
Piglets often have reduced feed intake after weaning and this has serious implications for growth. However, piglets reared outdoors display more exploratory and feeding behaviour both before and after weaning than piglets reared indoors (Cox and Cooper, 2001; Webster and Dawkins, 2000). We thought that the increased freedom to engage in natural behaviours might encourage piglets in large farrowing pens to mimic some of the behavioural patterns seen in outdoor systems. In this study, we tested whether piglets reared in large pens during lactation would interact more with their environment than piglets reared in farrowing crates and whether this behaviour was associated with increased feed intake before and after weaning. Since the term exploratory behaviour usually refers to a response to novel stimuli, we have chosen to use the term environmental interactions.
Recommended Citation
Elliott, J,
Williams, I H,
and
Payne, H G.
(2009), Piglets in Werribee farrowing pens explore more but eat less than those in farrowing crates, Twelfth Biennial Conference of the Australasian Pig Science Association, Cairns, pp.96-96.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/conf_papers/238
