Is belly nosing redirected suckling behaviour?

2006 ◽  
Vol 101 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 288-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Torrey ◽  
Tina M. Widowski
Keyword(s):  
Belly Nosing

scholarly journals Effects of weaning age on post-weaning belly nosing behavior and umbilical lesions

2002 ◽  
pp. 78-80
Author(s):  
R G Main ◽  
Robert D Goodband ◽  
Michael D Tokach ◽  
Jim L Nelssen ◽  
Steven S Dritz
Keyword(s):  
Weaning Age ◽  
Belly Nosing

scholarly journals Impact of increasing weaning age on pig performance and belly nosing prevalence in a commercial multisite production system

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamil E G Faccin ◽  
Fernanda Laskoski ◽  
Luciana F Hernig ◽  
Rafael Kummer ◽  
Gustavo F R Lima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Weaning Age ◽  
Belly Nosing ◽  
Pig Performance ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Daily Gain ◽  
Growth Trial

Abstract The effects of increasing weaning age in a commercial production system on nursery and finishing performance were evaluated. A total of 1,176 pigs (PIC 337 × Camborough) were used in a 136-d growth trial with 14 and 10 replications/weaning age on the nursery and finishing phases, respectively. Treatments included weaning litters at 19, 22, 25, or 28 d of age. In the nursery, as weaning age increased, initial (5.04, 5.70, 6.52, and 7.26 kg) and final body weight (BW) (18.2, 19.8, 23.0, and 25.1 kg) increased (linear, P < 0.001). Increasing the weaning age reduced (linear, P < 0.001) the prevalence of pigs exhibiting belly nosing (27.6%, 15.0%, 6.5%, and 1.4%) during the first 3 wk. The percentage of pigs losing weight during the first week after weaning (35.1%, 28.7%, 12.4%, and 9.2%) decreased (linear, P < 0.001) as weaning age increased. Average daily gain (ADG; 295, 320, 374, 406 g/d) and average daily feed intake (493, 534, 619, 661 g/d) increased (linear, P < 0.001), while feed efficiency (G:F) (596, 599, 604, and 615) tended to increase (linear, P = 0.081) with weaning age. Removal rate (8.01%, 3.79%, 2.29%, and 1.65%) declined (linear, P = 0.001) as weaning age increased, while there was no evidence of difference (P = 0.463) in mortality rate (0.71%, 0.36%, 0.96%, 1.04%). In the finishing period, BW at 136 d post-weaning (114.9, 117.8, 124.7, and 126.5 kg) and ADG (1.02, 1.04, 1.08, and 1.07 kg/d) improved (linear, P < 0.001). There was no evidence of differences (P > 0.24) in removal (1.5%, 2.4%, 1.0%, and 0.0%) or mortality rates (0.9%, 1.0%, 1.0%, and 1.4%) with changes in weaning age. When performance was analyzed at a common day of life (164 d of age), no effects of weaning age (P > 0.25) were found for BW (125.2, 124.4, 128.0, and 126.5 kg) and lifetime ADG (growth rate from birth to market) (754, 751, 774, and 762 g/d). The BW sold per pig weaned increased (linear, P < 0.001) with weaning age. Even though the slope indicated a linear response, the magnitude of improvement was high until 25 d, before exhibiting diminishing returns from 25 to 28 d. Thus, the study suggests that increasing the weaning age can be an effective strategy to improve the overall performance in a commercial system. Although lifetime performance was not affected by the weaning age range studied, the consistent effect in the nursery and the increment in the number of pigs reaching the market facilitated by the improvement in the removal rate in the nursery phase imply that 25 d is the optimal weaning age.

The influence of a barrier on the behaviour and growth of early-weaned piglets

1992 ◽  
Vol 1992 ◽  
pp. 140-140
Author(s):  
N.K. Waran ◽  
D.M. Broom
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Aggressive Interaction ◽  
Weaned Piglets ◽  
Large White ◽  
Floor Space ◽  
Belly Nosing ◽  
High Level

The Codes of Recommendation for the Welfare of Livestock : Pigs (1991) suggest that the minimum total floor space for pigs growing to 20 kg should be 0.15 m2 per pig. This space allowance should be adequate for sleeping, feeding, dunging and exercise. However, no allowance has been made for the space the pig needs to signal submission during an aggressive interaction, and it may be that this is one of the reasons why weaning is associated with such a high level of aggression and a reduction in growth rate. The objective of this experiment was to try to reduce aggression and belly-nosing and to improve weight gain by building a hide area (using a barrier) into conventional weaner pens. The steel-framed barriers that were used took up very little space in the pens. Three trials involving 120 Large White X Landrace piglets were carried out. In each trial, piglets were weaned at 24 days and were assigned at random to one of four treatments; straw pen with a barrier, straw pen with no barrier, flatdeck cage with a barrier, flatdeck cage with no barrier, each group contained ten piglets.

Effect of accommodating sucking and nosing on the behaviour of artificially reared piglets

2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
T M Widowski ◽  
Y Yuan ◽  
J M Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Passive Immunity ◽  
Milk Replacer ◽  
Feeding System ◽  
Sterile Water ◽  
Artificial Rearing ◽  
Neonatal Piglets ◽  
Laboratory Facility ◽  
Belly Nosing ◽  
Over Time

Neonatal piglets are often used in biomedical research applications that require artificial rearing. Social housing can be problematic because the piglets develop belly nosing, navel and ear sucking that can result in injury. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of using feeding devices that provide various opportunities for sucking and nosing behaviour on reducing piglet-directed behaviour of group-housed laboratory piglets. Fifteen piglets were used in each of four trials. The piglets nursed their dam for approximately 72 h to obtain passive immunity before transfer to a laboratory facility where they were allotted, five per group, to one of three stainless steel isolator units. Each unit featured a different style of feeding system for the delivery of milk replacer: a plastic trough (T), a nipple (N) mounted on a smooth plexiglass wall, or a nipple mounted on a pliant bag of sterile water (artificial udder [AU]). Each system had five feeding spaces so that all piglets fed simultaneously. Milk was provided at 6-h intervals, and behaviour was recorded on alternate days for 12 days post-weaning. Although trough-fed piglets began to eat much sooner than those piglets fed from nipples, time spent nosing, chewing or sucking on pen-mates and belly nosing were markedly higher in T piglets than in either N or AU, overall (mean: P <0.05) and over time (quadratic: P <0.05). Over time, N piglets developed a stereotypic snout rubbing on the wall behind the nipples, while AU piglets massaged and often fell asleep in contact with the udder from day 2 of the trial. Resting patterns were also affected. N and AU piglets settled down to rest more quickly (P <0.01) and spent significantly more time resting in the hour following feeding than T piglets (P <0.05). A feeding device that accommodates both sucking and massage can significantly reduce piglet-directed behaviour and may facilitate social housing of artificially reared piglets.

The effect of pre-weaning environment on piglets' post weaning behaviour

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 ◽  
pp. 13-13
Author(s):  
L. Cox ◽  
J.J. Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Tail Biting ◽  
Creep Feed ◽  
Breeding Herd ◽  
Pelleted Feed ◽  
Belly Nosing ◽  
Weaning Piglets ◽  
Production Problems ◽  
Pelleted Food ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor ◽  
Intensive System

A number of welfare and production problems are associated with weaning piglets including belly-nosing, ear and tail-biting, depressed immune responses, low intake of pelleted feed and impaired growth rate. These problems are, however, less pronounced in piglets reared on outdoor systems, which initially consume more pelleted food and show less belly-nosing and ear and tail biting than comparable indoor reared piglets. The objective of this study was to investigate how these differences in post weaning behaviour relate to the piglets' pre-weaning behaviour in the two rearing environments.The study was carried out on a 200 sow breeding herd (Camborough line 12) with sows equally divided between extensive and intensive systems. In the intensive system, sows were singly housed prior to farrowing in crates and their piglets received a pelleted “creep” feed prior to weaning. On the outdoor system, sows were allowed to build straw nests in arks for farrowing and both sow and piglets had access to pasture. Each ark had observation holes in the front and back to allow sampling of the piglet's behaviour without disturbing the sow. Indoor and outdoor piglets were weaned at three weeks of age and mixed together in groups of 90-120 in straw-yard housing with access to a pelleted feed.

Ontogeny of belly nosing in pigs weaned at 14 days of age: A study from weaning to 13 weeks of age

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
C J Bench ◽  
H W Gonyou
Keyword(s):  
Weaned Pigs ◽  
Large White ◽  
Tail Biting ◽  
Weaning Age ◽  
Belly Nosing

As weaning age decreases, belly nosing tends to increase, and can have lasting effects on growth, as well as the frequency of nosing and chewing penmates into the grow-finish phase of development. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of belly nosing and sucking in early-weaned pigs as these behaviours relate to other oral-nasal behaviours, such as tail biting. Piglets sired by Duroc (n = 120) and Large White (n = 122) boars were weaned at 14 d of age and observed at 18, 23, 28, 50, 63 and 91 d of age for nosing and sucking behaviours during nursery and grow-finish. Continuous observations at 21 and 35 d of age were used to determine mean belly nosing and sucking bout lengths. Belly nosing commenced within 4 d of weaning, peaked in incidence at 23-28 d of age and gradually decreased thereafter (P < 0.001). Belly sucking gradually increased with age (P < 0.001). Belly nosing and sucking bout durations also increased with age (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively), with belly nosing bouts lasting an average of 17.5 (21 d) to 27.3 (35 d) s compared with mean belly sucking bouts of 22.6 (21 d) to 58.1 (35 d) ss. The results suggest that vices associated with belly nosing continue to present a welfare concern in latter stages of developmentKey words: Behaviour, ontogeny, pigs, belly nosing, early weaned

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