title: Behaviors and body weight of suckling piglets in different social environments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to characterize the behaviors and the body weight of suckling piglets in different social environments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of sows and suckling piglets housed either in individual farrowing crates in separate pens (1.8×2.4 m, the control group) or in groups of three sows with their piglets in farrowing crates in a large common enclosure (5.4×2.2 m, the treatment group) were observed with the aid of video technology for 9 consecutive hours on days 1, 2, and 3, after mixing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Suckling, agonistic, and elimination behaviors of suckling piglets were significantly higher in the control group than in the treatment group. Inactive behavior was higher in the treatment group than in the control group. Most of the effects of the social environment on the suckling piglets seem to be the result of large reductions in behaviors and body weight for piglets switching from high activity to low activity. Moreover, suckling behavior and birth body weight were highly correlated with body weight at the end of the test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The social environment that resulted from mixing, thus, had significant effects on the behavior and body weight of suckling piglets, and behavioral characteristics, therefore, should be considered when making improvements to the husbandry and care methods used in swine production.
authors.affiliation: Swine Science Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Cheonan 31000, Korea.
authors.forename: Joon-Ki
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Swine Science Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Cheonan 31000, Korea.
authors.forename: Ki-Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Bioresourceand Bioscience, Chung-Ang University, Ansung 17546, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Su
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: School of Bioresourceand Bioscience, Chung-Ang University, Ansung 17546, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Kang
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Bioresourceand Bioscience, Chung-Ang University, Ansung 17546, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-Kyung
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.affiliation: School of Bioresourceand Bioscience, Chung-Ang University, Ansung 17546, Korea.
authors.forename: Shin-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Rhim
keywords: Farrowing Crate; Mixing Suckling Piglets; Swine; Video Technology in Animal Welfare