Indicators of improved gestation housing of sows. Part II: Effects on physiological measures, reproductive performance and health of the offspring.

Prenatal stress is the mechanism through which poor welfare of pregnant sows has detrimental effects on the health and resilience of their piglets. We compared two gestation housing systems (IMPROVED versus [conventional] CONTROL) in terms of sow stress and welfare indicators and sought to determine whether potential benefits to the sows would translate into improved offspring health. Sows were mixed into 12 stable groups (six groups per treatment, 20 sows per group) 29 days post-service in pens with free-access, full-length individual feeding/lying-stalls.

Indicators of improved gestation housing of sows. Part I: Effects on behaviour, skin lesions, locomotion, and tear staining.

Commercial gestation housing systems for sows generally fail to cater fully for their needs in terms of comfort or the ability to perform highly motivated behaviours, which can lead to chronic stress and an impairment to welfare. We compared a typical gestation system (CONTROL) with an IMPROVED one as regards oral stereotypies, aggressive behaviour, skin lesions, locomotion, and tear staining. Sows were mixed into 12 stable groups (six groups per treatment, 20 sows per group), 29 days post-service in pens with free-access, full-length individual feeding/lying stalls.

The Role of Environmental Enrichment and Back Fat Depth in the Intensity of Aggressive Behavior Performed by Sows during the Establishment of the Dominance Hierarchy.

For sows introduced into new groups, the aggressive behavior associated with establishing a social hierarchy represents a period of severe stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of providing sows with an improved pen environment (straw in racks and ropes) on aggressive behavior after mixing and to understand the role played by sow back fat thickness and parity order. At 29 d post-service, sows were mixed into IMPROVED or CONTROL pens with individual feeding stalls (6 groups/treatment, 20 sows/group).

Early Detection of Locomotion Disorders in Gilts Using a Novel Visual Analogue Scale; Associations with Chronic Stress and Reproduction.

Locomotion scoring is crucial for the early detection of lameness, which reduces sow welfare and performance. Our objective was to test the effectiveness of a visual analogue scale (VAS) to measure locomotory ability (OVERALL) compared to a categorical scoring system (CAT) and to investigate associations with hair cortisol and reproductive performance. Locomotion was scored in gilts (n = 51) at service, on day 57 and day 108 of pregnancy, and at weaning, using a VAS (150 mm line: 0 mm (perfect)-150 mm (severely lame)), and a CAT (1 (perfect)-5 (severely lame)).