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Sow-Piglet Nose Contacts in Free-Farrowing Pens
Katrin Portele1, Katharina Scheck1, Susanne Siegmann1
1Institute of Animal Welfare Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI
|August 3, 2019
Summary
Piglets nose their mother more if they are heavier, indicating a link between piglet weight and social behavior. Further research is needed to understand the welfare implications of this piglet-to-sow nosing behavior.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Ethology
- Animal Husbandry
Background:
- Nose contact is a common social behavior in pigs.
- The underlying motivations for sow-piglet nosing remain unclear.
- Understanding this behavior is crucial for pig welfare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency, direction, and type of sow-piglet nosing.
- To associate nosing behavior with sow and piglet traits.
- To explore the implications for animal welfare.
Main Methods:
- Live and video observations of 22 sows and 249 piglets over three weeks.
- Data collected in free-farrowing pens.
- Nosing events recorded for 30-minute periods per litter, weekly.
Main Results:
- Piglet-to-sow nosing occurred frequently (32.8 times/30 min/litter).
- Heavier piglets nosed the sow more (P=0.01), irrespective of sex or teat order.
- Sow-to-piglet nosing was less frequent (3.6 times/30 min) and unaffected by litter size.
Conclusions:
- Piglet weight is associated with the frequency of piglet-to-sow nosing.
- Primiparous sows showed increased nosing in the second week post-farrowing.
- Social nosing warrants further research for its positive implications on sow and piglet welfare.
Keywords:
behaviourcontactfree-farrowingmaternal caremother–offspringnosingpigletpositive welfarerecognitionsowMore Related Videos
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