Environmental Enrichment and Agonistic Behavior in Post-Weaning Pigs: A Pilot Study Using Artificial Intelligence.

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Ethology
• Agricultural Engineering

Background:

• Weaning is a significant stressor for piglets, leading to increased aggression and biting behaviors.
• These behaviors negatively impact piglet growth and overall welfare.
• Environmental enrichment (EE) is a potential strategy to mitigate stress-related behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the combined effects of rubber sticks and Italian ryegrass hay as EE on piglet welfare.
• To assess the impact of EE on growth performance, agonistic behaviors, lesion development, fecal consistency, and blood parameters.
• To evaluate the efficacy of an AI-based system for quantifying piglet social stress.

Main Methods:

• 64 seven-week-old pigs were divided into control and EE groups for four weeks.
• EE involved providing rubber sticks and Italian ryegrass hay.
• Agonistic behaviors were monitored using overhead cameras and an AI system (YOLOv8).
• Growth, fecal consistency, lesion severity, and blood biochemical parameters were measured.

Main Results:

• Combined EE significantly reduced lesion severity, decreased agonistic behaviors, and improved fecal consistency.
• EE led to lower levels of free fatty acids in blood.
• Growth performance was not significantly affected by the EE intervention.
• The AI system demonstrated high accuracy in quantifying behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Combined environmental enrichment with rubber sticks and ryegrass hay effectively reduces stress and biting behaviors in weaned piglets.
• AI-based monitoring is a valuable tool for assessing social stress in pigs.
• Further research with increased replication is recommended to validate these findings.