Enrichment and Exercise for Swine! Yolande Seddon, PhD Prairie Swine Centre Ethology
Why Enrichment & Exercise? Both are required in the current Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs!
Enrichment Requirements Pigs must be provided with multiple forms of enrichment that aim to improve the welfare of the animals through the enhancement of their physical and social environments. A way of changing the environment of the pig to their benefit.
Enrichment Goals Increase the number and range of normal behaviours Prevent, or reduce the severity, or abnormal behaviours Increase positive utilisation of the environment (e.g. us of space) Increase the animal s ability to cope with behavioural and physiological challenges
Social enrichment Direct or indirect (Visual, olfactory, auditory) contact
Nutritional Enrichment
Sensory: Visual, auditory, taste Tactile
Occupational and Physical
Enrichment alters Pigs Chewable enrichment (rope/paper) provided before weaning reduced tailbiting severity in the later growth stages: C: 32% vs Enr: 9% (P<0.0001) (Telkänranta et al. 2014) Post-weaning, oral-nasal manipulation of pen mates significantly lower, and manipulation of objects significantly increased (Telkänranta et al. 2014)
Enrichment alters Pigs Gilts with higher genotypic production characteristics (higher litter size, growth, low backfat) show higher levels of mal-adaptive biting behaviour (Ursinus et al. 2014) Provision of jute sacks reduced mal-adaptive biting behaviour in such gilts by 50% -profound effect (Ursinus et al. 2014) Reduces mixing stress greater exploration of environment rather than aggression (De Jong et al. 2000).
Benefits of enrichment Reducing fear & excitability (Grandin, 1989) - More willing to walk down chutes, and to approach unfamiliar humans Barren raised pigs show a stronger reaction to novel stimuli than enriched pigs (De Jong et al. 2000). Reduced: manipulation of pen mates, fighting, inactivity in piglets. Improved weight gain (Vanheukelom et al. 2011).
Enrichment alters Development Barren raised pigs have been shown to have blunted circadian rhythm of cortisol (de Groot et al. 2000) Pigs given enrichment performed better in spatial learning tasks (Grimberg-Henrici et al. 2015) Enrichment much more than just giving a pig a toy!
Properties of effective enrichment Complex Malleable Chewable Ingestible Destructible Encourages foraging and exploratory behaviour Straw bedding one of the most effective
The Six Simple Criteria for Choosing Enrichment SAFE! Suspended Sanitary The Six S s Site Soft Simple
Commercial Pig Enrichment Increasing amount of pig enrichment on the market Use of commercial pig ball lower than sisal rope and paper (Telkänranta et al. 2014)
Enrichment: How to do it well! Consider correct features of enrichment
Enrichment: How to get it right! On ground = rootable
Enrichment: How to get it right! Suspending enrichment improves cleanliness But ensure pigs can comfortably reach it Secure it well and sensibly!
Securing suspended Enrichment
Securing suspended Enrichment
Enrichment: How to get it right! Ideal placement in pens Feeder
Enrichment: How to get it right! Spatial access affects use by pen group Feeder
Spatial access will influence use Pigs synchronise exploration Feeder
Exploration of rope by pens of Growers Seddon et al. (2012)
Interaction between system & enrichment provision
Enrichment: Get the benefits! Rotate the enrichment! Rotation helps retain novelty (Trickett et al. 2009) Delaying re-presentation (+ 5 days) of object enrichment preserved novelty (Gifford et al. 2007) Remember enrichment can also be sound and positive human interaction
Enrichment: Why do it well? Weda playline rotating enrichments http://www.weda.de/en/playline-en
DIY Enrichment
Straw Racks
DIY Enrichment
DIY Enrichment
DIY Enrichment Pure Cotton Rope Interaction with rope observed at levels comparable to straw (Trickett et al. 2009).
Pure Cotton Rope DIY Enrichment
DIY Enrichment: Mix it up!
Enrichment: How to not spend too much money on it! Develop a number of simple enrichments Rotate between pens!
Current Research at PSC Development and evaluation of successful enrichment for sows in groups Announcing arrival of enrichment to increase value, provide anticipation, increase positive welfare Effects of expected (announced) enrichment found to be more pronounced than the enrichment alone in piglets (Dudink et al. 2006)
Exercise for Pigs
Exercise As of July 1, 2024, mated gilts and sows must be housed in existing stalls if: they are provided with the opportunity to turn around, or exercise periodically, or by other means that allow greater freedom of movement Suitable options will be clarified by the participating stakeholders by July 1, 2019, as informed by scientific evidence
Effects of Exercise? Stalls vs groups reduced stillborn in groups (Lammers et al.2007; Weng et al. 2009, Chapinal et al. 2010) Influence of sow movement in gestation on piglet survival? Improved muscle tone leading to shorter farrowing times enough to reduce stillborns?
Effects of Exercise? Treatments Variable EM PS LM P Conception rate (%) 98 94 87 0.028 Wean to Service Interval (days) 4.06 4.51 4.31 0.672 Total born 15.16 ± 0.39 15.63 ± 0.40 15.47 ± 0.42 0.700 Born Alive 13.66 ± 0.41 13.27 ± 0.42 13.18 ± 0.45 0.691 Still born 0.95a ± 0.12 1.54b ± 0.16 1.58b ± 0.16 0.003 Mummies 0.47 ± 0.09 0.44 ± 0.09 0.53 ± 0.09 0.766
Motivation for Exercise Not explored in sows Explored in tethered dairy cattle (Veisser et al. 2008) Groups of cows tethered for increasing amounts of time (up to 28d) Released to an exercise arena Cows tied with no access to exercise showed greater locomotor activity (P<0.05) Tethered cows given exercise had the same locomotor activity as group housed cows (Veisser et al. 2008).
How much to have benefit? Every day? Once a week, every two weeks? Stall housed sows exercised 3 x per week for 30 minutes, had increased umbilical blood flow & reduced posture changes in gestation (Harris et al. 2013) - less agitation, greater comfort?
How much for benefit? Stall housed gilts exercised 5 days a week for 2 7 hrs had: Quicker lying down speed More piglets weaned and lower piglet mortality Greater bone strength (Scheneck et al. 2008)
Pig Progress October 2015 DateGate boar circuit Stalls
Is exercise most important for sow Welfare? Sows work harderest for access to more food 2nd highest motivation rootable enrichment (compost) (Elmore et al. 2012) Rubber mat could improve comfort but sows worked harder for food (Elmore et al. 2012)
Concluding Remarks Evidence suggests likely exercise will be of benefit but not practical For sows in stalls, improving welfare through fulfilling other motivations a more workable approach
Enrichment Give it a go! Experiment! See the responses for yourself Consider the Six S s when choosing enrichment Resources available: CDPQ factsheet: Enriching the living space of pigs to comply with the Code You tube site: Activepigs
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