Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Stereotypic behavior and heart rate in pigs.

W Schouten1, J Rushen, A M De Passillé

  • 1Department of Animal Husbandry, Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Physiology & Behavior
|September 1, 1991
PubMed
Summary

Tethered sows show increased heart rates when fed, suggesting heightened sympathetic nervous activity. Stereotypic behaviors in sows do not appear to reduce this elevated heart rate.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Making tiestalls more comfortable: I. Adjusting tie-rail height and forward position to improve dairy cows' ability to rise and lie down.

Journal of dairy science·2020
Same author

Making tiestalls more comfortable: III. Providing additional lateral space to improve the resting capacity and comfort of dairy cows.

Journal of dairy science·2020
Same author

Making tiestalls more comfortable: II. Increasing chain length to improve the ease of movement of dairy cows.

Journal of dairy science·2020
Same author

Associations between on-farm animal welfare indicators and productivity and profitability on Canadian dairies: I. On freestall farms.

Journal of dairy science·2019
Same author

Associations between on-farm cow welfare indicators and productivity and profitability on Canadian dairies: II. On tiestall farms.

Journal of dairy science·2019
Same author

Producer experience with transitioning to automatic milking: Cow training, challenges, and effect on quality of life.

Journal of dairy science·2018

Area of Science:

  • Animal Behavior
  • Physiology
  • Animal Welfare

Background:

  • Stereotypic behaviors in farm animals are often linked to stress.
  • Understanding the physiological underpinnings of stereotypies is crucial for animal welfare.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between heart rate, sympathetic nervous activity, and stereotypic behavior in sows.
  • To determine if stereotypic behavior serves to reduce physiological stress responses.

Main Methods:

  • Telemetric recording of heart rate in loose-housed and tethered sows.
  • Administration of beta-adrenoreceptor antagonist (carazolol) and naloxone.
  • Correlation analysis between heart rate and performance of stereotypic behavior.

Main Results:

  • Feeding increased heart rate, with a greater response in tethered sows.
  • The feeding-induced heart rate increase was partially blocked by carazolol.
  • No consistent relationship was found between heart rate and stereotypic behavior frequency.
  • High-stereotyping sows had lower basal heart rates in one experiment.

Conclusions:

  • Long-term tethering increases sympathetic nervous system responses to feeding in sows.
  • Stereotypies may occur during periods of high heart rate but do not reduce it.
  • Current evidence does not support the hypothesis that stereotypies function to alleviate physiological stress.

Related Experiment Videos