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Related Experiment Videos

Save the pig tail.

Anna Valros1, Mari Heinonen2

  • 1Department of Production Animal Medicine & Research Centre for Animal Welfare, University of Helsinki, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 57, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.

Porcine Health Management
|April 14, 2017
PubMed
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Tail biting in pigs negatively impacts welfare and farm economics. Addressing pig needs through improved management can reduce tail biting, potentially eliminating the need for tail docking.

Area of Science:

  • Animal Science
  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Animal Welfare

Background:

  • Tail biting is a prevalent issue in commercial pig farming, leading to significant animal welfare concerns and economic losses.
  • Current management and housing systems often fail to meet pigs' behavioral needs, increasing the risk of tail biting.
  • Tail docking is a common practice to mitigate tail biting but presents its own welfare challenges, including pain and enabling suboptimal production methods.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the welfare and economic implications of tail docking versus alternative strategies for managing tail biting in pigs.
  • To explore the potential for improving pig welfare and reducing tail biting through modifications in production systems.
  • To provide a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis considering both tail docking and tail biting impacts.
Keywords:
PigRisk factorsTail bitingTail docking

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Main Methods:

  • Review of existing data on tail biting prevalence and severity in docked and undocked pig populations.
  • Analysis of the welfare impacts associated with tail docking procedures.
  • Assessment of management and housing factors contributing to tail biting.
  • Economic evaluation of tail docking versus non-docking strategies.

Main Results:

  • Tail docking, while reducing biting, is itself a welfare concern causing pain.
  • A minority of pigs are typically affected by tail biting even in high-risk situations.
  • Data indicates that tail biting can be effectively managed without tail docking by improving production systems.

Conclusions:

  • Tail docking should be critically re-evaluated due to its inherent welfare costs.
  • Optimizing pig management and housing to meet behavioral needs offers a viable alternative to tail docking.
  • Focusing on improving the production environment is key to reducing tail biting and enhancing overall pig welfare.