Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T03:23:52.708Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The efficacy of novel rope flavours as environmental enrichment for stalled gilts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

JD Colpoys ,
AK Johnson  and
NK Gabler
JD Colpoys*
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Science, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO 63501, USA
AK Johnson
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
NK Gabler
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
*
∗ Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: jcolpoys@truman.edu
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of flavoured ropes as environmental enrichment for individually housed pigs (Sus scrofa). A 4 × 4 Latin square experimental design was utilised to evaluate the effects of four rope flavour treatments on 24 individually penned gilts: i) water, ii) salt water solution; iii) sugar water solution; and iv) apple juice. Cotton rope was soaked in the assigned treatment solution for 30 min on day 1 of each treatment. The rope was tied to an overhead bar at 1000h on day 1 and removed at 1900h on day 2. The following day, gilts received a different treatment using the same methodology. Gilts were videorecorded one day before treatments were given (baseline) and throughout the study. The video was analysed for enrichment interaction, eating behaviour, and posture using a 2-min scan sample interval between 0700 and 1900h. The addition of sugar flavour increased enrichment interaction compared to apple and salt flavours but did not differ compared to water treatment. Furthermore, gilts interacted with enrichment 61% more the first day the enrichment flavour treatment was provided compared to the second. Gilts given rope enrichment spent less time lying and more time sitting compared to when no enrichment was provided. The results of this study suggest that while the addition of flavours to cotton ropes caused minor changes in enrichment interaction and behaviour, provision of rope enrichment was beneficial for increasing activity in stalled gilts.

Keywords

animal welfarebehaviourenvironmental enrichmentfeed intakeflavourpig
Type
Articles
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , November 2018 , pp. 351 - 356
Copyright
© 2018 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Apple, JK and Craig, JV 1992 The influence of pen size on toy preference of growing pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 35:149–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(92)90005-VGoogle Scholar
Bachmanov, AA, Bosak, NP, Lin, C, Matsumoto, I, Ohmoto, M, Reed, DR and Nelson, TM 2014 Genetics of taste receptors. Current Pharmaceutical Design 20: 2669–2683. https://doi.org/10.2174/13816128113199990566Google ScholarPubMed
Bracke, MBM 2006 Expert opinion regarding environmental enrichment materials for pigs. Animal Welfare 15: 67–70Google Scholar
Bracke, MBM 2008 RICHPIG: a semantic model to assess enrichment materials for pigs. Animal Welfare 17: 289–304Google Scholar
Campbell, TA and Long, DB 2009 Strawberry-flavored baits for pharmaceutical delivery to feral swine. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: 615–619. https://doi.org/10.2193/2008-326CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colpoys, JD, Johnson, AK and Gabler, NK 2016 Daily feeding regimen impacts pig growth and behavior. Physiology & Behavior 159: 27–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.03.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dawkins, MS 2007 Observing Animal Behaviour: Design and Analysis of Quantitative Data pp 72–88. Oxford University Press: New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198569350.003.0005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Douglas, C, Bateson, M, Walsh, C, Bédué, A and Edwards, SA 2012 Environmental enrichment induces optimistic cognitive biases in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 139: 65–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2012.02.018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dudink, S, Simonse, H, Marks, I, de Jonge, FH and Spruijt, BM 2006 Announcing the arrival of enrichment increases play behaviour and reduces weaning-stress-induced behaviours of piglets directly after weaning. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 101:86–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2005.12.008Google Scholar
Fraser, D 1975 The effect of straw on the behaviour of sows in tether stalls. Animal Production 21: 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003356100030415Google Scholar
Gonyou, HW, Chapple, RP and Frank, GR 1992 Productivity, time budgets and social aspects of eating in pigs penned in groups of five or individually. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 34: 291–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(05)80090-5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guy, JH, Rowlinson, P, Chadwick, JP and Ellis, M 2002 Behaviour of two genotypes of growing-finishing pig in three dif-ferent housing systems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 75: 193–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(01)00197-6Google Scholar
Jankevicius, ML and Widowski, TM 2003 Does balancing for color affect pigs’ preference for different flavored tail-models? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 84: 159–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2003.08.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kare, MR, Pond, WC and Campbell, J 1965 Observations on the taste reactions in pigs. Animal Behaviour 13: 265–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-3472(65)90045-XGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kittawornrat, A, Prickett, J, Chittick, W, Wang, C, Engle, M, Johnson, J, Patnayak, D, Schwartz, T, Whitney, D, Olsen, C, Schwartz, K and Zimmerman, J 2010 Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in serum and oral fluid samples from individual boars: Will oral fluid replace serum for PRRSV surveillance? Virus Research 154: 170–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2010.07.025CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marchant, JN and Broom, DM 1996 Effects of dry sow housing conditions on muscle weight and bone strength. Animal Science 62:105–113. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1357729800014387CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughlin, CL, Baile, CA, Buckholtz, LL and Freeman, SK 1983 Preferred flavors and performance of weanling pigs. Journal of Animal Science 56: 1287–1293. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas1983.5661287xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Research Council (NRC) 2012 Nutrient Requirements of Swine, Tenth Edition. National Academies Press: Washington, DC, USAGoogle Scholar
Oostindjer, M, Bolhuis, JE, van den Brand, H, Roura, E and Kemp, B 2010 Prenatal flavor exposure affects growth, health and behavior of newly weaned piglets. Physiology & Behavior 99:579–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.01.031CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruiterkamp, WA 1987 The behaviour of growing pigs in relation to housing. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 35: 67–70CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schenck, EL, McMunn, KA, Rosenstein, DS, Stroshine, RL, Nielsen, BD, Richert, BT, Marchant-Forde, JN and Lay, DC 2008 Exercising stall-housed gestating gilts: Effects on lameness, the musculo-skeletal system, production, and behavior. Journal of Animal Science 86: 3166–3180. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2008-1046Google ScholarPubMed
Scott, K, Chennells, DJ, Campbell, FM, Hunt, B, Armstrong, D, Taylor, L, Gill, BP and Edwards, SA 2006 The welfare of finishing pigs in two contrasting housing systems: Fully-slatted ver-sus straw-bedded accommodation. Livestock Science 103: 104–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2006.01.008CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van de Weerd, HA and Day, JEL 2009 A review of environ-mental enrichment for pigs housed in intensive housing systems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 116: 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2008.08.001Google Scholar
van de Weerd, HA, Docking, CM, Day, JEL, Avery, PJ and Edwards, SA 2003 A systematic approach towards developing environmental enrichment for pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 84: 101–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(03)00150-3Google Scholar
Young, RJ, Carruthers, J and Lawrence, AB 1994 The effect of a foraging device (The ‘Edinburgh Foodball’) on the behaviour of pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 39: 237–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(94)90159-7CrossRefGoogle Scholar