title: The behaviour and welfare of sows and piglets in farrowing crates or lactation pens.
abstract: Temporary confinement during parturition and early postpartum may provide an intermediary step preceding loose housing that offers improvement in sow and piglet welfare. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the implications of replacing farrowing crates (FCs) with an alternative housing system from 3 days postpartum until weaning. In each experiment sows farrowed in FCs and were randomly allocated at day 3 of lactation to either a FC or a pen with increased floor space (lactation pen (LP)) until weaning. In experiment 1, piglet growth and sow and piglet skin injuries were recorded for 32 sows and 128 focal piglets in these litters. Behaviour around nursing and piglet behavioural time budgets were also recorded for 24 of these litters (96 focal piglets for time budgets). In experiment 2, measures of skin injury and behavioural time budgets were conducted on 28 sows and 112 focal piglets. The behavioural response of sows to piglet vocalisation (maternal responsiveness test (MRT)) was also assessed. In experiment 3, piglet mortality from day 3 of lactation until weaning was recorded in 672 litters over 12 months. While housing did not affect piglet weight gain in experiment 1, or piglet skin injuries in experiments 1 or 2, sows in both experiments sustained more injuries in LP than FC (experiment 1, 2.9 v. 1.4; experiment 2, 2.5 v. 0.8 lesions/sow; P0.05). Thus, housing sows and litters in LP from day 3 of lactation minimises piglet mortality while improving maternal behaviour in sows and social behaviour in piglets.
authors.affiliation: 1Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences,University of Melbourne,Melbourne,3010 VIC,Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: 1Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences,University of Melbourne,Melbourne,3010 VIC,Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verdon
authors.affiliation: 2Faculty of Veterinary Science,The University of Sydney,Camden,2570 NSW,Australia.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cronin
authors.affiliation: 1Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences,University of Melbourne,Melbourne,3010 VIC,Australia.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Hemsworth
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D036801:Parturition; D011247:Pregnancy; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*; D014886:Weaning; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: animal welfare; behaviour; lactation housing; loose-housed sows; piglet mortality