Social status and previous experience in the group as predictors of welfare of sows housed in large semi-static groups

Brajon, Sophie; Ahloy‐Dallaire, Jamie; Devillers, Nicolas; Guay, Frédéric

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0244704

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…This is in accordance with one welfare definition 41 and showed that the clustering method may be an estimation of some components of the welfare status of an individual at a given time. However, this outcome is unexpected, considering that numerous studies have demonstrated the impact of parity on physical activity or agonistic interactions, which are variables used for the clustering 42 – 44 . However, the experimental design does not reveal any causal links but only potential correlations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Estimation of gestating sows’ welfare status based on machine learning methods and behavioral data

Durand,

Largouët,

de Beaufort

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Estimating the welfare status at an individual level on the farm is a current issue to improve livestock animal monitoring. New technologies showed opportunities to analyze livestock behavior with machine learning and sensors. The aim of the study was to estimate some components of the welfare status of gestating sows based on machine learning methods and behavioral data. The dataset used was a combination of individual and group measures of behavior (activity, social and feeding behaviors). A clustering method was used to estimate the welfare status of 69 sows (housed in four groups) during different periods (sum of 2 days per week) of gestation (between 6 and 10 periods, depending on the group). Three clusters were identified and labelled (scapegoat, gentle and aggressive). Environmental conditions and the sows’ health influenced the proportion of sows in each cluster, contrary to the characteristics of the sow (age, body weight or body condition). The results also confirmed the importance of group behavior on the welfare of each individual. A decision tree was learned and used to classify the sows into the three categories of welfare issued from the clustering step. This classification relied on data obtained from an automatic feeder and automated video analysis, achieving an accuracy rate exceeding 72%. This study showed the potential of an automatic decision support system to categorize welfare based on the behavior of each gestating sow and the group of sows.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Estimation of gestating sows’ welfare status based on machine learning methods and behavioral data

Durand,

Largouët,

de Beaufort

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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“…Транспортування, профілактика захворювань тварин та додаткові ветеринарні заходи можуть вимагати додаткових фінансових витрат. Переміщення може спричинити конфлікти через формування нових соціальних ієрархій, що також може бути стресовим фактором для тварин (Tong et al, 2020;Brajon et al, 2021).…”

Section: вступunclassified

Productivity and survival of piglets during their two-phase rearing with a change in the feeding system

Mezhenskyi,

Gutyj,

Borshchenko

et al. 2024

SMLNUVMBA

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Our research aimed to establish the productivity of piglets during their two-phase rearing with different durations of the phases of this period of the production cycle. It was established that at the end of the first rearing phase, animals' absolute gains and weight upon its completion depended more on its duration than on the intensity of piglet growth during this period. Thus, in the group where the duration of the first phase of rearing was 17.6 % shorter, the weight of piglets when transferred to the second phase of rearing was 15.0 % lower, while in the group where the duration of the first phase of rearing was 35.3 % shorter, the weight of animals when transferred to the second phase turned out to be 28.3 % smaller, and in the group where the duration of the first phase of rearing was 52.9 % shorter, the weight of piglets at the end of the first phase turned out to be 50.5 % lower. In the second phase of fattening, the intensity of growth in animals with a duration of 9 and 18 days did not have significant differences, while their counterparts with a 27-day duration of the second phase of fattening had average daily gains in the second phase of fattening by 13.7–15.6 % more than the previous groups. The difference in absolute growth depended more on the duration of the period and less on the intensity of growth during this period. Thus, in the group where the duration of the second phase of rearing increased by 17 %, the absolute growth during this time increased by 1.97 times, and with its increase by 35 %, the latter increased by 3.41 times compared to the group of piglets where the duration of the second phase of rearing was 9 days. The live weight of piglets at the end of the second growing phase increased by 4.3 % and 8.5 %, respectively. The preservation of piglets in the second phase of rearing did not have significant differences between groups of piglets with different durations of the second phase of rearing. In contrast, the average weight of piglets dropped out in the second rearing phase decreased by 15.4–33.5%, with an increase in the duration of the second phase from 18 % to 35 and 52 % of the entire growing time. It has been proven that with an increase in the duration of the second phase of rearing, in which liquid feeding of piglets was used by 18 %, 35 %, and 53 % of the entire rearing time, the intensity of growth of piglets increased, and due to which their absolute growth increased by 4.5 %, 10.2 %, and 16.3 %, respectively, the live weight at the transfer to fattening increased by 3.4 %, 7.9 %, and 12.2 %, respectively, the technological waste of piglets decreased by 1.06 %, 1.83 %, and 2.23 %, decreased by 13.7, and 25.8 %, the weight of piglets that were eliminated during the entire period of rearing compared to analogs that had 100 % of the time the first phase of rearing under dry feeding systems.

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“…As the hierarchical position of the pig in uences its behavior and interactions with conspeci cs [43], we took this information into account, hence for each group of 7, we de ned the 3 more dominant and the 3 more subordinate pigs, the remaining pig was considered intermediate. Hierarchy ranking was determined by analyzing 4 feedings prior to the baseline during the habituation period, the level of expression of both aggressive and submissive behaviors as well as the time spent eating were considered.…”

Section: Treatment Applicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cutaneous application of SecurePig® FLASH, a Pig Appeasing Pheromone analogue, facilitates adaptation and manages social behavior during feeding in semi-extensive conditions

Chasles,

Marcet‑Rius,

CHOU

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background Farm animals face several challenges throughout their lives, which can affect both their welfare and their productivity. Promoting adaptation in animals is one way of limiting these consequences. In various animal species, the use of maternal appeasing pheromones is efficient to reduce aggressiveness, improve adaptation and thus ensuring better welfare and productivity. This study sought to investigate the efficiency of a treatment with a Pig Appeasing Pheromone (PAP) on the behavior of pigs reared under semi-extensive conditions and exposed to a potential conflict – collective feeding. Animals (n = 14 divided in 2 groups of 7) were subjected to 3 different phases, A) baseline - no pigs received the PAP, B) SP − 2 out of the 7 pigs per group received the PAP and C) AP – all pigs received the PAP. Behaviors related to feeding, aggression and locomotion were compared between the 3 phases of the study. Results Compared to the baseline period, we observed that the number of head knocks was reduced when some pigs (p < 0.001) and all pigs (p < 0.005) received the PAP. Similarly, we observed that the number of fleeing attempts was reduced when some pigs (p < 0.001) and all pigs (p < 0.001) were treated when compared to baseline. This number was lower in the AP phase than in the SP phase (p < 0.001). When all pigs were treated (AP), we also observed that they spent less time investigating the floor than during the two other phases (p < 0.001), but they seemed more likely to leave the feeder due to the presence or behavior of another pig of the group (SP vs AP, p < 0.05; Baseline vs AP, p = 0.06). Conclusions The PAP application improved adaptation in pigs by reducing aggressiveness and promoting conflict avoidance. Those results validate the efficiency of the pheromonal treatment under semi-extensive rearing conditions to help pigs to cope with a challenging situation. Using PAP in the pig industry seems interesting to limit unwanted consequences of farm practices on animal welfare and productivity, by promoting their adaptation.

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Social status and previous experience in the group as predictors of welfare of sows housed in large semi-static groups

Cited by 9 publications

References 67 publications

Estimation of gestating sows’ welfare status based on machine learning methods and behavioral data

Estimation of gestating sows’ welfare status based on machine learning methods and behavioral data

Productivity and survival of piglets during their two-phase rearing with a change in the feeding system

Cutaneous application of SecurePig® FLASH, a Pig Appeasing Pheromone analogue, facilitates adaptation and manages social behavior during feeding in semi-extensive conditions

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