title: Effect of early trough familiarity on the creep feeding behaviour in suckling piglets and after weaning.
abstract: The incidence of an early contact with trough and/or feed on creep feeding behaviour was evaluated before and after weaning (day 28) using 28 litters Large-White X Pietrain. During the second week of life, litters were allocated to one of the four treatments: empty trough (group T), trough supplied with feed (group TF), feed supplied on floor (group F), and nothing (group N). Between days 14 and 28, all groups were supplied with trough and feed for 90 minutes per day. Behavioural recordings were carried out every two days during the feed supply. Over weeks 3 and 4, creep feed intake was highly variable between litters (range 0-2382 g) and within litters (range 0-674 g/piglet). Feeding activity started around day 21, concerned a low number of littermates (< 50%), and was associated with a strong exploration and social behaviour around the trough. Females were more implicated than castrated males (P < 0.05) and tended to show higher estimated creep feed intake (P < 0.10). The number of feeding acts (10 vs. 5), the percentage of littermates engaged in feeding behaviour (20% vs. 10%) and the feed intake (300 g vs. 100 g) tended to be higher in the TF than in the other groups (P < 0.1). After weaning, treatment had no effect on the feed intake. However, females exhibited a higher feed intake (P < 0.05) during the first 4 days following weaning (day 1: 20.5 g vs. 12 g; days 2-4: 254 g vs. 185 g), and less feed was ingested (P < 0.05) the first day in piglets exhibiting no creep feed behaviour during the behavioural recordings of the suckling period. Results suggest wide adaptive capacities of weaned piglets although an effect of learning cannot be eliminated.
authors.affiliation: I.N.R.A., Station de Recherches Porcines, St Gilles 35590 L'Hermitage, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Delumeau
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Meunier-Salaün