Usage of outdoor runs and defaecation behaviour of fattening pigs

Höne, Ulrike; Krause, E. Tobias; Bussemas, Ralf; Traulsen, Imke; Schrader, Lars

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105821

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The analyses of defecation behavior and its integration into behavior sequences can serve as crucial early warning tools for detecting anomalies in management practices [9,43]. Deviations from the designated defecation area or alterations in defecation behavior within behavior sequences due to external disruptions or specific environmental conditions (e.g., climatic factors) can be utilized as valuable management indicators.…”

Section: Defecatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Self-structured pig pens consist of a defined soiling area in which normal eliminatory behavior takes place [7]. In case of deviating elimination behavior due to changes in pig density, partition type or changes in climate conditions [8,9] potentially increased ammonia emissions that will negatively influence the environmental impact related to the size of the soiled area corresponds to the released ammonia emissions [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Describing Behavior Sequences of Fattening Pigs Using Process Mining on Video Data and Automated Pig Behavior Recognition

Melfsen,

Lepsien,

Bosselmann

et al. 2023

Agriculture

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study aimed to demonstrate the application of process mining on video data of pigs, facilitating the analysis of behavioral patterns. Video data were collected over a period of 5 days from a pig pen in a mechanically ventilated barn and used for analysis. The approach in this study relies on a series of individual steps to allow process mining on this data set. These steps include object detection and tracking, spatiotemporal activity recognition in video data, and process model analysis. Each step gives insights into pig behavior at different time points and locations within the pen, offering increasing levels of detail to describe typical pig behavior up to process models reflecting different behavior sequences for clustered datasets. Our data-driven approach proves suitable for the comprehensive analysis of behavioral sequences in conventional pig farming.

show abstract

Section: Defecatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Describing Behavior Sequences of Fattening Pigs Using Process Mining on Video Data and Automated Pig Behavior Recognition

Melfsen,

Lepsien,

Bosselmann

et al. 2023

Agriculture

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A dunging area of more than 0.41 m 2 per pig makes it possible for pigs to eliminate simultaneously (Ocepek and Andersen, 2022). In organic fattening pigs with access to outdoor runs and therefore more space available, the pigs defaecated significantly more often in the outdoor runs, and as such, there were no faeces inside (Höne et al, 2023). Another important factor is the openness of the pen surrounding and the resulting microclimate.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measures to affect the elimination behaviour of fattening pigs in a conventional housing system

Höne,

Schrader,

Hölscher

et al. 2024

Front. Anim. Sci.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pigs try to separate their lying area from the dunging area. However, due to several factors such as pen design, increasing ambient temperatures, or lack of space, pigs often lie in the dunging area or defaecate in the lying area, resulting in increased pen and animal soiling. Besides poor hygienic conditions, this may also lead to increased ammonia emissions. Thus, proper changes to support the structure of conventional pens may help facilitate better elimination behaviour of pigs and establish and maintain their functional areas, including dunging areas. In this study, we investigated the effect of measures to help pigs use pre-defined functional areas. The study was done on a conventional farm in pens with fully slatted floors. Pen and animal soiling was recorded by a scoring scheme in a total of 37 pens during two fattening periods. In the first fattening period (baseline period), the pen design remained unchanged to evaluate the status quo. In the second fattening period (treatment period), certain changes in 16 test pens were done to structure the pen into a designated dunging and a resting area. The remaining 21 pens served as control pens. Changes included installation of LED spotlights, partly open pen partitions, and re-arrangement of nipple drinkers and hay racks. To compare the soiling of pens, the difference in pen soiling was calculated both between the baseline and the treatment periods and the control and test pens. As a first step, the difference in pen soiling between the control and test pens within both fattening periods was compared. Additionally, to control for changes in pen soiling over time, the differences between the pen soiling of the control pens during the baseline period and the treatment period were compared. The same comparison was done for the test pens. In the treatment period, no significant difference in the pen soiling between the control pens and test pens was found. However, over time, i.e., comparing the soiling of test pens and control pens between the baseline and the treatment periods, pigs soiled the designated dunging areas more in the treatment period. The fattening pigs in both the test and the control pens were very clean during both fattening periods. Our pen modification treatment that combined changes in LED spotlights, drinker locations, roughage locations, and partly open pen partitions did not result in clear effects. However, we can not rule out that these features can help to structure the pens in a positive way.

show abstract