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The effects of straw availability for nest-building on maternal reactivity of crated sows after farrowing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

J. N. Marchant ,
K.H. Jensen  and
R.M. Forde
J. N. Marchant
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, De Montfort University, Caythorpe, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG32 3EP, U.K.
K.H. Jensen
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health and Welfare, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
R.M. Forde
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, De Montfort University, Caythorpe, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG32 3EP, U.K.
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Extract

Most indoor sows in Denmark and the UK continue to farrow in crates. Before farrowing, sows are highly motivated to nest-build and gilts farrowing in crates without straw have an especially large stress response over the nest-building period (Jarvis et al., 1997). In non-crated sows, the inability to nest-build affects the subsequent maternal behaviour of the sow after farrowing (Herskin et al., 1999). This study aimed to determine whether supplying straw before farrowing increased the anti-crushing and anti-predator behaviour of the crated sow after farrowing and improved piglet survival.

Type
Theatre Presentations
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2000 , 2000 , pp. 31
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2000

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References

Herskin, M.S., Jensen, K.H., Thodberg, K. (1999). Influence of environmental stimuli on nursing and suckling behaviour in domestic sows and piglets. Animal Science, 68: 27–34.Google Scholar
Jarvis, S., Lawrence, A.B., McLean, K.A., Deans, L.A., Chirnside, J. and Calvert, S.K. (1997) The effect of environment on behavioural activity, ACTH, b-endorphin and cortisol in pre-farrowing gilts. Animal Science, 65: 465–472.Google Scholar