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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2010
A two-treatment experiment was made involving 340 crossbred pigs penned in groups of 20 and offered a cereal-based, non-pelleted diet ad libitum from one single-space hopper per pen supplying both food and water. Half the feeders were fitted with stalls which protected the feeding pig from its pen mates. The average number of visits per day to the feeder was reduced from 20·1 to 11·9 (s.e. 1·58, P<0·01) by fitting the stall and the average duration of each visit was increased from 2·06 min to 4·18 min (s.e. 0·298, P < 0·02). The total time of occupation and its circadian pattern were similar for both treatments There were reductions in the incidence of enforced withdrawals (12·7 v. 3·4 (s.e. 0·75), P < 0·001) and of pigs queuing (28·6 v. 84 (s.e. 2·35), P < 0·001) with the addition of a stall which also reduced the occurrence of tail biting. Although the stall improved pig welfare the anticipated reduction in food spillage was not evident.