Abstract
Our objective was to characterize eating behavior associated with displacement hazard and subsequent performance for pigs were fed in static groups by an electronic sow feeder (ESF). Data included weekly eating records and subsequent farrowing records of 685 pigs. The eating behavior comprised weekly averages of daily feed dispensed (ADFD) and daily total time spent in the feeding stations (TTSF). A displacement female was defined as a pig removed from her group for health reasons. A multivariate model and piecewise exponential models were fitted to the records. Means (inter-quartile ranges) of ADFD and TTSF were 2.4 kg (2.1-2.8 kg) and 9.3 min (7.5-10.8 min), respectively. Gilts had less ADFD than sows during gestational weeks 5-13 (P < 0.05), but there was no difference in TTSF between gilts and sows in gestational weeks 5-8 and 11-13 (P > 0.05). Also, gilts had higher displacement hazard than parity 2 or higher sows in gestational weeks 8-10 (P < 0.05). Pigs that were entered into the ESF system during summer had less ADFD, and shorter TTSF from gestational weeks 5 to 12 than those entered during the other seasons (P < 0.05). The TTSF varied between two genotypes during gestational weeks 5-7 (P < 0.05). Also, a higher displacement hazard was associated with less ADFD (P < 0.01). A higher hazard of pregnancy loss was associated with shorter TTSF (P < 0.01). In conclusion, we recommend that both ADFD and TTSF should be measured in ESF systems to help identity females having problems.
Highlights
The European swine industry is moving towards group housing because the use of gestation stalls has been banned for mid- and late gestation in all member states of the European Union (EU) since 2013
The electronic sow feeder (ESF) system enables producers to control the amount of feed for each pregnant pig in group housing, and it records how much feed has been dispensed and how long each pig stays in the feeding station, i.e. its eating behavior
Records of eating behavior can include weekly average daily feed dispensed (ADFD) and daily total time spent in the feeding stations (TTSF)
Summary
The European swine industry is moving towards group housing because the use of gestation stalls has been banned for mid- and late gestation in all member states of the European Union (EU) since 2013. The ESF system enables producers to control the amount of feed for each pregnant pig in group housing, and it records how much feed has been dispensed and how long each pig stays in the feeding station, i.e. its eating behavior. Such eating behavior of mid to late gestation pregnant pigs in ESF systems is not yet well characterized in commercial herds. The objectives of the present study were 1) to characterize the two types of eating behavior (ADFD and TTSF), 2) to assess the displacement hazard for pregnant pigs under an ESF system, and 3) to determine the associations between the pregnant pigs’ eating behavior and the displacement hazard, pregnancy loss, and subsequent farrowing and weaning performance in a breeding herd
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