Original scientific paper
SOW BEHAVIOUR DURING THE FIRST 6 HOURS AFTER FARROWING
Boris Krsnik
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of animal hygiene environment and ethology, Zagreb, Croatia
Željko Pavičić
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of animal hygiene environment and ethology, Zagreb, Croatia
Rayane Yammine
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of animal hygiene environment and ethology, Zagreb, Croatia
Tomislav Balenović
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of husbandry, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The behaviour of four sows (Large white x Landrace) kept in a object equipped with farrowing crates (2000 x 1500 mm) with slated floors, was compared with the behaviour of four sows (Large white) kept in a object equipped with farrowing crates (2500 x 1750 mm) with slated floors, using video-recorded data. Each sow was videotaped immediately after farrowing, during 6 hours. During the recording, air temperature, relative humidity and draught speed were measured in both objects. The results revealed that sows in both systems spent most time lying in side postures. The sows in crates with full flooring spent a longer time lying on the right side, sternal posture, sitting and standing, compared to sows kept in crates with slated floors. The total posture changing frequency was also higher in sows kept in crates with full flooring. The conclusion derived from these results is that housing conditions, crate space and microclimatic factors, respectively, influenced sow behaviour regarding duration and frequency of body postures.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
164506
URI
Publication date:
18.11.1996.
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