Behaviour and Skin Injuries of Piglets Originating from a Novel Group Farrowing System Before and After Weaning

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse a novel group farrowing system (GH) concerning piglets’ behaviour, skin injuries and body weight gain, to test its animal friendliness. Skin injuries and weight gain were compared to piglets originating from conventional individual housing (IH) before and after weaning. The GH system had five farrowing pens without crates, a common area and an area only available for piglets. In total, 34 litters were studied. Four days after the GH-piglets had left the pens during lactation, the lesion score of piglets in GH was higher than in IH. However, piglets from the GH sustained fewer injuries after mixing at weaning, compared to the piglets from IH and had higher daily weight gains, during the early nursery phase. The common area in GH was intensively used for active behaviour, since standing/walking and playing were observed there, most frequently, whereas lying occurred most frequently inside the pens. Immediately after the piglets had left the pens in the GH, the piglets preferred proximity to the sow, compared to the pens where they were born. The GH system enabled social enrichment, offered increased space for activity and led to fewer skin lesions, after weaning; thus, potentially increasing animal welfare.

The Health and Welfare of Pigs from the Perspective of Post Mortem Findings in Slaughterhouses

“…Beyer and Wechsler [20] assessed the influence of the type of floor on the claw condition of weaners and found that even a difference of 1 mm in the slat gap had an impact on forming and severity of claw lesions (wall bruising and coroner lesions). Moreover, injuries and skin lesions in piglets often result from the hierarchical fights among piglets as a result of mixing unfamiliar piglets at weaning [21]. Leg weakness often causes stress and pain to the pig, and also impairs the piglet´s ability to compete at the feeding through.…”

Early socialisation in group lactation system reduces post‐weaning aggression in piglets

“…1 Therefore, alternative systems without crates are becoming increasingly important in today's pig production, aimed to enhance both the sow's and piglets' welfare. [2][3][4][5][6][7] In these loose housing systems, the sows can either be single housed or group housed together with other sows and their litters. In group housing systems, piglets meet unknown conspecifics (sows and piglets from other litters) before weaning, and this early socialisation can reduce aggressive behaviour and skin injuries when piglets are mixed after weaning.…”

“…In group housing systems, piglets meet unknown conspecifics (sows and piglets from other litters) before weaning, and this early socialisation can reduce aggressive behaviour and skin injuries when piglets are mixed after weaning. [5][6][7] Early socialisation corresponds to the speciesspecific behaviour of pigs. It is known for wild boars that the sow returns to her group together with her offspring four to 12 days after farrowing.…”

“…Mixing is then followed by fights, aimed to establish a rank order. 9 Previous studies dealt with the early socialisation of piglets in pre-weaning group housing systems [5][6][7] and in single housing systems where walls between adjacent pens were opened. 7,10,11 These studies revealed that piglets that knew each other from the suckling period showed few skin injuries or little aggression when being regrouped after weaning.…”

Animal Welfare and Production Challenges Associated with Pasture Pig Systems: A Review

“…It has been reported that weaning impacts the structure, morphology, and functioning of the intestines, the immune response of piglets, feed intake, growth rate, morbidity, and mortality indexes [201]. Weaning is a gradual process that would end at approximately 17 weeks of age in the wild [202]. The way weaning is handled varies among production systems [50].…”