Rearing finishing pigs with intact tails: do they benefit from an enriched environment?

In an attempt to prevent tail biting in pigs, tail docking is often carried out. As this management procedure is painful for the pigs, it can be questioned if pigs can be raised with intact tails and whether they benefit from an enriched environment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the behavior and performance of fattening pigs with intact tails in an enriched environment and fattening pigs in a more barren environment. A total of 94 pigs with different genetic backgrounds (type C pigs: predisposed to better carcass traits vs. type G: predisposed to better growth) were followed up during the fattening period (30 – 110kg). Half of these pigs (n = 48) were housed in four barren control pens (a hanging toy as enrichment). The other half of the pigs (n = 46) were housed in four enriched pens (a hanging toy, straw blocks in a dispenser and a hiding wall). Type C and type G pigs were equally spread over these treatments, but were housed separately (n = 2 pens/type/treatment). Behavioral observations were carried out once a week and the presence of skin lesions were recorded every 14 days. Pigs were weighed individually on four occasions (start of the study, 6 and 12 weeks later and at slaughter), and simultaneously, tail lengths were also measured. The results revealed a general higher frequency of ear biting compared to tail biting in both barren and enriched pens. However, a higher frequency of tail biting was observed in enriched pens in the period between weight 3 and slaughter (90 – 110kg) compared to barren pens. Pigs in enriched pens may have been more restricted in their movements around the pen during the last stage of the fattening phase due to weight gain and the presence of a hiding wall resulting in increased frustration and increased tail biting. This higher frequency of tail biting in enriched pens was mainly observed in type G pigs, while no difference between barren and enriched pens was found for type C pigs, indicating that the genetic background of the pigs should be considered when possible causes of a tail biting outbreak will be identified. Pigs in enriched pens had a higher average daily weight gain over the entire fattening period. Pigs predisposed to better growth (type G) had a higher average daily weight gain and longer tails than pigs predisposed to better carcass traits at the start of the fattening stage. However, daily weight gain and daily growth rate of the tail over the entire fattening stage did not differ between pig types. In conclusion, the presence of straw dispensers and a hiding wall did not contribute to a lower frequency of biting behavior and aggressive behavior. Moreover, tail biting increased in enriched pens during the last period of the fattening stage. The results suggest that the genetic background of the pig should be taken into account, as this factor might influence the pig’s behavior.

Jaar van publicatie:2018

BOF-keylabel:ja

IOF-keylabel:ja

BOF-publication weight:1

CSS-citation score:1

Authors from:Higher Education