Evaluating a Pigs Welfare Status SAPPO Training Course.

Evaluating a Pig’s Welfare Status

SAPPO Training Course

Identify the pig’s messages

Listen: for sounds that express contentment or distress

Smell: go down to pig level to identify unpleasant smells

Feel: draughts, air and floor temperatures Taste: the feed for rancidity, mould, excess

salt Look: at the pig and its surroundings

Do a thorough evaluation

Sounds

Pigs are vocal and use sounds to express contentment, fear and distress – learn to distinguish between happy grunts, frightened or angry squeals, groans of pain

Other sounds of concern: coughing, sneezing, wheezing or rasping breath, scratching, grinding teeth

Smells

Distinguish between the normal smell of pigs, especially when housed indoors, and unacceptable odours:– Ammonia – Rotting odours related to rotting feed, especially

swill, infrequent removal of solid waste, dead rats or piglets, dirty drains

Rotting feed

Fruit is good for pigs, but not in this condition

Temperature and air movement

Pig sties should be well ventilated but not draughty– Make sure that drain outlets do not provide a source of

draughts for small piglets

Pigs should be neither too hot nor too cold– Young piglets need a warm environment– Older pigs are happiest in cool but not cold conditions– Good air circulation helps to keep sties cool

Temperature

Keep piglets warm but don’t overheat their mother

Feed

Pigs are famous for being willing to eat anything if hungry enough, but, like us, they prefer it if it smells and tastes good

Whatever is fed, it should be fresh and wholesome Feeders should be cleaned daily to prevent

accumulation of stale, mouldy feed in corners With home mixes, beware of excess salt, it can kill

pigs; if it tastes too salty to you, it is dangerous; always make sure pigs have access to clean fresh drinking water to dilute salt in feed

Pigs enjoying fresh green feed

Look at the pig

Contented, comfortable pigs appear calm When they are awake they should be interested in

their surroundings and especially in their food When asleep they should be peaceful, although (like

us) they may twitch and snore They should be in good condition, well grown for

their age, with clean, healthy skins and coats Piglets should suckle contentedly from a gently

grunting mother

Calm both sleeping and waking

Contented suckling

Look at behaviour

Abnormal behaviour points to a problem:– Fighting in groups that are not newly mixed can indicate

overcrowding or not enough food for all– Vices such as ear/tail-biting are often linked to poor diet – Head-banging or continuous biting the bars may happen in

confined pigs that cannot express normal behaviour– Prolonged scratching indicates mange– Water deprivation can result in attempting to drink the urine

of other pigs– Arching the back and grinding teeth indicates pain– Huddling together in warm weather indicates fever

Prolonged scratching

Look at the surroundings

Do the pigs have enough space to behave normally? Is the level of hygiene acceptable? Is there enough shade/shelter for all the pigs? Is the area where the pigs rest dry? Are there sharp projections to hurt pigs? Are there any signs of disease like diarrhoea, vomit

or worms?

Too little shade for all the pigs

Corrective action

Any indication that something may be wrong must be investigated and corrected

The action needed may be very simple or it may require a radical change in management

Making sure that pigs are healthy and contented is the best investment any pig producer can make in his/her enterprise

Any questions?

Won’t anybody help us please?