Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 November 2021
With increasing concern over animal welfare, large straw yard accommodation is being used as a less intensive system for the finishing of pigs. The performance achieved in straw pens can exceed that of fully slatted housing (Lyons et al, 1994). Unfortunately, the main weakness of large groups in straw yards can be the high variation in performance. The objective of this study was to determine the behavioural differences between low and high performing pigs and to investigate pig location preferences in large groups of various sizes.