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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Using Chronic Social Stress to Model Postpartum Depression in Lactating Rodents

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Published on: June 10, 2013

Identifying Early-Life Behavior to Predict Mothering Ability in Swine Utilizing NUtrack System.

Savannah Millburn¹, Ty Schmidt¹, Gary A Rohrer²

¹Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.

Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI

|September 28, 2023

Summary

Early gilt activity, measured by NUtrack, influences key sow reproductive traits like gestation length and litter size. These behaviors can help improve economical selection decisions for swine production.

Keywords:

automation of behavioral monitoring livestock precision farming tracking individual pigs

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Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

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Published on: June 13, 2021

Area of Science:

Animal Science
Behavioral Science
Reproductive Biology

Background:

Swine reproduction and longevity are critical for economical selection decisions.
Early-life activity in gilts is a key variable impacting sow herd life and productivity.
Understanding gilt behavior can predict farrowing traits such as gestation length (GL), number born alive (NBA), and number weaned (NW).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the association between early-life gilt activity traits and subsequent reproductive performance.
To determine if behavioral indicators in young gilts can predict key sow productivity metrics.

Main Methods:

480 gilts were video recorded at 20 weeks of age for 7 days using the NUtrack system.
Activity traits including angle rotated, speed, distance traveled, eating, lying, standing, and sitting were quantified.
Linear regression models were used to analyze the relationship between gilt activity and parity one reproductive data (GL, NBA, NW).

Main Results:

Gestation length (GL) was significantly influenced by angle rotated, average speed, distance traveled, and time spent lying lateral and sternal.
Number born alive (NBA) was significantly impacted by time spent lying lateral, lying sternal, and sitting.
Number weaned (NW) was significantly associated with time spent eating, lying lateral, and sitting.

Conclusions:

Early-life gilt activity behaviors are demonstrably associated with important sow productivity traits.
Behavioral data captured by systems like NUtrack show potential for identifying gilts with superior reproductive outcomes.
Further research is warranted to refine the use of behavioral analysis for genetic selection in swine.