Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences

Asian Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies (아세아태평양축산학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

The Effects of Components of Grazing System on Welfare of Fattening Pigs

  • Tozawa, Akitsu (Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University) ;
  • Tanaka, Shigefumi (Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University) ;
  • Sato, Shusuke (Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University)
  • Received : 2015.03.04
  • Accepted : 2015.06.08
  • Published : 2016.03.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

The objective of this study was to clarify the most effective component of grazing for improving welfare of fattening pigs. This study compared welfare indicators of 20 fattening pigs aged 100 to 124 days (the prior period) and 138 to 164 days (the latter period) in an indoor housing system (IS), an outdoor pasturing system (OP), a concrete floor paddock system (CF), a concrete floor paddock system with fresh grass (FG), or a soil floor paddock system (SF). The last three treatments include important components of a grazing system: extra space, grass feed, and soil floor. Behavior, wounds on the body, and performances, measured as average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio, were observed. CF pigs behaved similarly to IS pigs. FG pigs showed higher levels of foraging, chewing and activity. SF pigs engaged in higher levels of foraging, exploring, activity, and rooting, and showed a similar amount of playing behavior as OP pigs. ADG was the same in all treatments at the prior period, and increased in the order FG, IS, CF, SF, and OP at the latter. The behaviors and performance of SF pigs resembled those of OP which seemed to indicate a consistently higher standard of welfare than the other treatments. In conclusion, the existence of a soil floor is the most important component of a pasture for improving the welfare of pigs.

Keywords

References

  1. Anil, L., S. S. Anil, and J. Deen. 2007. Effects of allometric space allowance and weight group composition on grower-finisher pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 87:139-151. https://doi.org/10.4141/A06-051
  2. Appleby, M. C. and D. G. M. Wood-Gush. 1988. Effect of earth as an additional stimulus on the behaviour of confined piglets. Behav. Processes 17:83-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/0376-6357(88)90027-7
  3. Baxter, S. 1984. Intensive Pig Production: Environmental Management and Design. Granada Publishing Ltd, London, UK.
  4. Beattie, V. E., N. Walker, and I. A. Sneddon. 1995. Effects of environmental enrichment on behaviour and productivity of growing pigs. Anim. Welf. 4:207-220.
  5. Beattie, V. E., N. Walker, and I. A. Sneddon. 1998. Preference testing of substrates by growing pigs. Anim. Welf. 7:27-34.
  6. Beattie, V. E. and N. E. O'Connell. 2002. Relationship between rooting behaviour and foraging in growing pigs. Anim. Welf. 11:295-303.
  7. Bigelow, J. A. and T. R. Houpt. 1988. Feeding and drinking patterns in young pigs. Physiol. Behav. 43:99-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(88)90104-7
  8. Bracke, M. B. M., J. J. Zonderland, P. Lenskens, W. G. P. Schouten, H. Vermmer, H. A. M. Spoolder, H. J. M. Hendriks, and H. Hopster. 2006. Formalised review of environmental enrichment for pigs in relation to political decision making. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 98:165-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2005.08.021
  9. Day, J. E. L., H. A. M. Spoolder, A. Burfoot, H. L. Chamberlain, and S. A. Edwards. 2002. The separate and interactive effects of handling and environmental enrichment on the behaviour and welfare of growing pigs. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 75:177-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(01)00199-X
  10. De Jong, I. C., E. D. Ekkel, J. A. Van de Burgwal, E. Lambooij, S. M. Korte, M. A. W. Ruis, J. M. Koolhaas, and H. J. Blokhuis. 1998. Effects of strawbedding on physiological responses to stressors and behaviour in growing pigs. Physiol. Behav. 64:303-310. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9384(98)00066-3
  11. Guy, J. H., P. Rowlinson, J. P. Chadwick, and M. Ellis. 2002. Behaviour of two genotypes of growing-finishing pig in three different housing systems. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 75:193-206. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(01)00197-6
  12. Haskell, M., F. Wemelsfelder, M. T. Mendl, S. Calvert, and A. B. Lawrence. 1996. The effect of substrate-enriched and substrate-impoverished housing environment on the diversity of behaviour in pigs. Behaviour 133:741-761. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853996X00459
  13. Hughes, B. O. and I. J. H. Duncan. 1988. The notion of ethological 'need', models of motivation and animal welfare. Anim. Behav. 36:1696-1707. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(88)80110-6
  14. Jensen, P. 1984. Effects of confinement on social interaction patterns in dry sows. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 12:93-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(84)90099-6
  15. KilBride, A., C. Gillman, P. Ossent, and L. Green. 2009. Impact of flooring on the health and welfare of pigs. In Pract. 31:390-395. https://doi.org/10.1136/inpract.31.8.390
  16. Martin, P. and P. Bateson. 1986. Measuring Behaviour. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.
  17. Meunier-Salaun, M. C., M. N. Vantrimponte, A. Raab, and R. Dantzer. 1987. Effect of floor area restriction upon performance, behavior and physiology of growing-finishing pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 64:1371-1377. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas1987.6451371x
  18. Olsen, A. W. 2001. Behaviour of growing pigs kept in pens with outdoor runs: I. Effect of access to roughage and shelter on oral activities. Livest. Prod. Sci. 69:255-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-6226(01)00172-5
  19. Pearce, G. P. and A. M. Paterson. 1993. The effect of space restriction and provision of toys during rearing on the behaviour, productivity and physiology of male pigs. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 36:11-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(93)90095-7
  20. Petersen, V., H. B. Simonsen, and L. G. Lawson. 1995. The effect of environmental stimulation on the development of behaviour in pigs. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 45:215-224. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(95)00631-2
  21. Petherick, J. C. 1983. A biological basis for the design of space in livestock housing. In: Farm Animal Housing and Welfare (Eds. S. H. Baxter, M. R. Baxter, and J. A. D. McCormack). Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, The Netherlands. pp. 103-120.
  22. R Development Core Team. 2013. R: A language and environment for statistical computing ver.3.0.2. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. http://www.R-project.org/ Accessed October 2, 2013
  23. Randolph, J. H., G. L. Cromwell, T. S. Stahly, and D. D. Kratzer. 1981. Effects of group size and space allowance on performance and behavior of swine. J. Anim. Sci. 53:922-927. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas1981.534922x
  24. Spoolder, H. A. M., S. A. Edwards, and S. Corning. 2000. Legislative methods for specifying stocking density and consequences for the welfare of finishing pigs. Livest. Prod. Sci. 64:167-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0301-6226(99)00152-9
  25. Stolba, A. and D. G. M. Wood-Gush. 1989. The behaviour of pigs in a semi-natural environment. Anim. Prod. 48:419-425. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003356100040411
  26. Van Putten, G. 1979. Ever been close to a nosey pig? Appl. Anim. Ethol. 5:298. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3762(79)90076-2
  27. Welfare Quality Consortium. 2009. Welfare Quality assessment protocol for pigs (sows and piglets, growing and finishing pigs). Welfare Quality Consortium, Lelystad, Netherlands.
  28. Wood-Gush, D. G. M. and R. G. Beilharz. 1983. The enrichment of a bare environment for animals in confined conditions. Appl. Anim. Ethol. 10:209-217. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3762(83)90142-6
  29. Wood-Gush, D. G. M. and K. Vestergaard. 1989. Exploratory behavior and the welfare of intensively kept animals. J. Agric. Ethics 2:161-169. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01826929

Cited by

  1. Research trends in outdoor pig production — A review vol.30, pp.9, 2017, https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.17.0330
  2. Comparison of two housing systems on behaviour and performance of fattening pigs vol.47, pp.1, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1080/09712119.2018.1561372
  3. Housing and road transport modify the brain neurotransmitter systems of pigs: Do pigs raised in different conditions cope differently with unknown environments? vol.14, pp.1, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210406
  4. Animal Welfare and Production Challenges Associated with Pasture Pig Systems: A Review vol.10, pp.6, 2020, https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10060223