Gilts are motivated to exit a stall.

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior
• Animal welfare science
• Swine production systems

Background:

• Gestating female pigs (gilts) are commonly housed in stalls, despite ethical concerns and legislative actions.
• Understanding gilt motivation to exit stalls is crucial for improving welfare in intensive farming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the motivation of stall-naïve gilts to exit a gestation crate.
• To identify distinct behavioral profiles related to exit-seeking in gilts.

Main Methods:

• Sixteen stall-naïve gilts were housed in a modified gestation crate for 60 minutes.
• A novel apparatus continuously monitored the force exerted by gilts on the back gate.
• Hierarchical cluster analysis identified behavioral profiles based on force measurements.

Main Results:

• All gilts exhibited motivation to exit, with significant variation in pushing events (41-173) and maximum force (124-645 N).
• Two distinct behavioral profiles were identified: one group of gilts was significantly more active (more pushes, higher forces, shorter intervals).
• These profiles align with a reactive/proactive framework, suggesting individual differences in response to confinement.

Conclusions:

• Stall confinement is demonstrably aversive to swine, eliciting strong exit-seeking behavior.
• Individual gilt motivation and behavioral responses to stalls are complex and varied.
• Findings support the need for improved housing systems that address pig welfare concerns.