[A comparative study of the wellbeing of fattening pigs].
Fully and partly slatted floor systems and the Danish system were compared to gain a better understanding how fattening pigs function in modern intensive housing systems. Five fattening rounds were completed and a total number of 2,400 fattening pigs took part in this study. The data concerned production, culling of animals and particularly behaviour. The effect of housing during the farrowing and rearing periods on the behaviour of fattening pigs was also examined. The production results were significantly poorer (with the exception of carcass classification) and the number of culled animals was significantly larger in both slatted floor systems compared with the D-system. The pigs in the slatted floor system showed a more fixed and dual behaviour strategy which differed from that in the D-system, and that is influenced by the housing system during the farrowing and rearing period. On the one hand, behaviour is much more directed towards physical objects and pen mates, but it is unlikely that this will resolve a conflict situation with regard to an inadequate environment. On the other hand, the animals presumably attempt to reduce or break off the interaction with this environment during the 'non-active' phase (sham chewing, motionless sitting: auto-isolation). On the basis of these findings it is concluded that fattening pigs have more difficulties in adapting themselves to both slatted floor systems compared with the D-systems, and this obviously is a matter of reduced well-being.
D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003441:Crowding; D006799:Housing, Animal; D012098:Reproduction; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development*
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