The Animal Welfare Science Centre The Welfare of Gestating Sows in Conventional Stalls and in Large Groups on Deep-litter Guillermo Karlen Animal Welfare.

The Animal WelfareScience Centre

The Welfare of Gestating Sows in Conventional Stalls and in Large

Groups on Deep-litter Guillermo Karlen

Animal Welfare Science Centre

Department of Primary Industries, Victoria

University of Melbourne

The Animal WelfareScience CentreAdvantages of stall housing

Feed intake

Decreased aggression

Individual health check

The Animal WelfareScience CentreWelfare concerns

sows are unable to exercise

sows have limited social interaction

sows show signs of chronic stress (in some studies)

Use of stalls for gestating sows have been restricted in EU and banned in some countries

The Animal WelfareScience CentreLarge group housing

The Animal WelfareScience CentreLarge group housing


Pen Distribution and Feeding Station

Feeding Station

The Animal WelfareScience CentreWelfare in groups

Advantages

are able to exercise

have social interaction

less feed needed to maintain body condition

avoid aggression

Disadvantages

increased aggression retaliation more animals

feed intake control

The Animal WelfareScience CentreObjective

• To assess the welfare of gestating sows in large groups on deep-litter compared to individual stalls.


Experiment 1:

640 Sows

Two treatments

Conventional stalls (320 sows)

Large groups on deep litter (320 sows)

Experimental Design


• Large groups: each replicate • 40 experimental + 45 non-experimental• N = 85 sows in 1 pen

• Space allowance = 2.3 m2 per sow

• Stalls: each replicate • 40 individually housed sows

• Eight replicates of each treatment• Weekly allocation of replicates

• 18 focal sows per replicate in each treatment• 6 from each parity group

• Data collection: 27 weeks

Experimental Design

The Animal WelfareScience CentreMeasurements

Injuries and locomotion

The Animal WelfareScience CentreAssessments

Injuries at weaning and weeks 1, 9 and 15 of gestation

Scratches

Abrasions

Cuts

The Animal WelfareScience CentreInjury assessment


Number of scratches was higher in large groups

Incidence of Scratches

05

1015202530

Week of gestation

Number per sow

Stalls

Large goupsP<0.001

P<0.001 P<0.001

Results


Number of abrasions was higher in Stalls

Incidence of abrasions

00.1

0.20.3

0.40.5

0.60.7

0.80.9

1

Stalls Large groups

Number of

abrasions (average) P<0.001

Results


Locomotion score

Sows were scored when standing, walking and trotting on

a concrete pathway.

0: sound

1: difficulties putting weight on one or more limbs

2: locomotion is obviously altered; signs of pain

3: unable to walk, severe pain?

Measurements


Weaning previous to treatment

Week 9 and 15 of gestation

Stalls: allowed to walk 30 m before assessment

Large groups: after feeding

Assessments


Locomotion better in Large groups

Locomotion score

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

9 15

Week of gestation

ScoreStalls

Large groups

P=0.001 P=0.001

Results


Less severe locomotion problems in Large groups

P<0.001

0

5

10

15

9 15

Week of gestation

%

Stalls

Large groupsP<0.001

Sows scoring 2 or 3

Results


Lower culling rate in Large groups

0

1

2

3

4

5

Stalls Large Groups

Treatment

%

Stalls

Large Groups

Results


Behaviour

Feeding behaviour

Occurrence of aggression

Time budget

Measurements


Week 1 and 9 of gestation

Feeding behaviour: feeding speed

Occurrence of aggression: 4 x 10 minutes of

continuous observation

Time budget: instantaneous scanning every 5

minutes for 40 minutes

Assessments


Aggression decreased between week 1 and 9

Results

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

Week 1 Week 9

Large groups

P<0.05


Time budget

Percentage of time spent lying or standing/walking

Results

0

20

40

60

80

100

Lying 1 S/W1 Lying9 S/W 9

%Stalls

Large groups

P<0.002

P<0.005


Physiological measurements Salivary cortisol

weeks 1 and 9 of gestation

Immunology

Week 16 of gestation

Haematology

Lymphocyte sub-populations

Measurements


Saliva cortisol

0

2

4

6

8

1 9

Week of gestation

nMStalls

Large groups

Results


38

40

42

44

46

48

Neutrophils Lymphocytes

%Stalls

Large groups

P<0.05 P<0.05

Immunology

Results


Immunology: Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

Stalls Large groups

P<0.05

Results


Reproductive performance

Measurements


Farrowing rate

Total born

Born alive

Stillborn

Mummies

Average piglet birth weight

Average piglet weaning weight

Total litter (alive) birth weight

Total litter weaning weight

Assessments


Farrowing rate

60

65

70

75

80

Stalls Large groups

%

Results


Individual productivity

Results

7.88

8.28.48.68.8

99.2

# weaned

Number of piglets

Stalls

Large groups

P=0.01


Early in gestation

Higher incidence of scratches in Large groups

Lower incidence of abrasions in Large groups

Higher salivary cortisol concentration in Large groups

The locomotion problems were less severe in Large

groups

Summary

The Animal WelfareScience CentreSummary

Late in gestation

Higher incidence of scratches in Large groups,

although the number decreased substantially

Lower incidence of abrasions in Large groups

The locomotion problems increased in Stalls

Lower immune response in Stalls

The Animal WelfareScience CentreConclusion

Sows in Large groups faced higher challenges

early in gestation, however they seem to

decrease over time

In contrast, Sows in stalls faced increasing

challenges later in gestation

Different systems have different problems

Design is more important than the system per se

The Animal WelfareScience CentreExperiment 2

Three treatments Stalls (15 weeks)

Large groups (15 weeks)

5 weeks in stalls and 10 weeks in large groups

1080 sows

14 months of data collection

The Animal WelfareScience CentreAcknowledgments

Funding provided by: Department of Primary Industries Victoria

Australian Pork Limited

The University of Melbourne

Supervision: Prof. Paul Hemsworth (The University of Melbourne, Australia)

and

Dr Harold Gonyou (Prairie Swine Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada)

Special thanks to: Dr John Barnett Dr Greg Cronin Dr Emma Fabrega AWSC staff and students R&D staff at QAF Meat Industries

The Animal Welfare Science Centre The Welfare of Gestating Sows in Conventional Stalls and in Large Groups on Deep-litter Guillermo Karlen Animal Welfare.

Documents

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sows large groups

sows experimental design

locomotion slide

focal sows

housed sows

social interaction sows

large groups p