In experiments to investigate the time taken by pigs to negotiate ramps with different slopes it was found that they ascended with greater facility than they descended. Between 0 degrees and 20 degrees, the slope appeared to have little effect on the time taken to ascend or descend. Above 20 degrees the time taken to ascend increased linearly. The relationship between the time taken to descend and the slope above 20 degrees was biphasic with times increasing substantially above 35 degrees. There were also differences between the times taken on different days but no evidence of habituation. Pigs took longer to climb steeper ramps with wider spaces between cleats but there was no significant effect on the time taken to descend.
Pigs could be moved along a race 120 cm wide more quickly than along a race 45 cm wide. The presence of a bend with an angle of 45 degrees slowed their progress by about 10 per cent, a bend of 90 degrees or 120 degrees slowed them by 19 per cent and a 180 degrees bend slowed them by 44 per cent. There was little evidence of any interaction between the effects of width and angle of bend; the effect of a sharp bend could not be compensated for by increased width. The pigs became accustomed to the races and moved more quickly in later runs.
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