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Related Experiment Videos

Coping styles of tethered sows.

W G Schouten1, P R Wiepkema

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

Behavioural Processes
|June 14, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Sows show distinct coping styles when tethered. Low-resisting sows develop stereotypic behaviors, while high-resisting sows exhibit helplessness, with differences visible in alertness and heart rate.

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Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior
  • Ethology
  • Animal welfare

Background:

  • Tethering is a common housing system for sows.
  • Individual differences in sow behavior and stress responses are well-documented.
  • Understanding sow behavior under tethering is crucial for welfare assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate behavioral differences in sows subjected to tethering.
  • To identify distinct coping styles related to stereotypic behavior.
  • To explore the relationship between initial resistance to tethering and long-term behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of 20 non-pregnant primiparous sows during tethering.
  • Behavioral assessments at initial tethering, and after 1 and 2 months.
  • Categorization of sows into high and low stereotyping groups.
  • Heart rate measurements to assess physiological responses.

Main Results:

  • Sows divided into high and low stereotyping groups after 2 months.
  • High-resisting sows showed less stereotypic behavior and higher alertness.
  • Low-resisting sows developed stereotypies, potentially indicating learned helplessness.
  • Lower mean heart rates in high stereotyping sows post-feeding were observed.

Conclusions:

  • Tethering reveals distinct sow coping styles: helplessness vs. adaptation through stereotypies.
  • Initial resistance to tethering predicts long-term behavioral responses.
  • Behavioral and physiological differences suggest varied stress responses to confinement.

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