Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4523490 | Applied Animal Behaviour Science | 2010 | 7 Pages |
In order to determine the influences of different posture patterns of sows on piglet losses, the present study aimed at the analysis of different elements of pre-lying behaviour peri and post partum. Over the course of 1 year, the behaviour of 386 German Landrace sows (with 438 pure-bred litters) in a nucleus herd was videotaped continuously starting 12 h ante partum until 48 h post partum. From these animals, 40 sows were randomly sampled with a block-data design. Twenty sows which crushed one or more than one piglet (designated as C-sows) were compared to 20 sows which crushed no piglets (designated as NC-sows). The analysis covered the frequency, duration and manner of the sows’ pre-lying behaviour. Combinations with other positions were assessed. The piglets’ resting-activity cycles and their location regarding the sow were also recorded. The respective behaviour was calculated according to the differences between NC-sows and C-sows. Results showed that post partum, NC-sows – in particular primiparous ones – performed ‘sniffing’ as an element of pre-lying behaviour significantly more often and with longer duration (30 s) than primiparous C-sows. Before ‘kneeling down on their front legs’ and changing into ‘lateral recumbency’, the primiparous NC-sows ‘sniffed’ more often than the C-sows (P < 0.01). Furthermore, NC-sows – especially multiparous ones – ‘looked around’ more often, also towards the piglet's nest site, before descending from standing to lying by ‘kneeling on front legs’ (P < 0.05). ‘Nosing’, often in combination with ‘looking around’, was significantly more frequent in primiparous NC-sows than in primiparous C-sows. The duration of the sleeping and activity behaviour at the mammary gland had a tendency to be longer in the piglets of C-sows than in those of NC-sows (P < 0.1). Thus, these results indicate that elements of pre-lying behaviour of NC-sows and C-sows are performed in different ways. Therefore, ‘sniffing’, ‘looking around’, and ‘nosing’ as components of the pre-lying behaviour represent useful elements to characterise the maternal responsiveness of sows in relation to the crushing of piglets.