Effect of Enrichment Items on the Physiology and Behavior of Sows in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Autor: Shuangshuang Li, Hongqing Hu, Jian Huang, Yuxuan Yang, Weijing Xu, Junfeng Chen, Jiawei Wan, Lianghua Li, Rong Zheng, Siwen Jiang, Jin Chai
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Animals, Vol 12, Iss 11, p 1355 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2076-2615
DOI: 10.3390/ani12111355
Popis: Modern intensive pig breeding harms animal welfare, which is especially noticeable for pregnant sows kept in confinement stalls. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of enrichment items on the movement and physiological parameters of sows in the third trimester of pregnancy. A total of 30 large white pregnant sows were randomly divided into three equal treatment groups (n = 10): control, pine wood, and scented wood groups. Interestingly, compared with the control group, the sows in the pine wood or scented wood groups showed less ventral lying and more lateral lying behavior (p < 0.01), coupled with significant reduction in the frequency of scratching and sham-chewing (p < 0.01), but with no significant difference in the degree of preference for these enrichment items (p > 0.05). Additionally, the sows in the pine wood or scented wood groups also decreased significantly in the concentration of immunoglobulin A (IgA) (p < 0.01) and the concentration of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (p < 0.05) throughout the late pregnancy period. Overall, adding enrichment items to confinement stalls can alleviate the chronic stress and the stereotypic behavior of sows, suggesting their potential to reduce welfare compromise.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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