Behavioural and physical effects of flooring on piglets and sows

Abstract

Three different floor surface treatments in farrowing pens, viz. concrete, epoxypainted concrete and floor covered with a rubber mat, were studied with regard to their effects on the behaviour of the sows and piglets, and also knee damage suffered by the piglets. The data were studied in three parts: (1) the analysis of animal behaviour (2) knee wounds and (3) the association between knee wounds and behaviour. The analysis of behaviour showed that floors covered with rubber mats were the best for lying-comfort of the sows, the epoxy-painted concrete floor being too slippery. It was also observed that the piglets moved around most on the floor covered with rubber mats. The different floor treatments did not influence the number of knee wounds on the front legs of the piglets. From three days of age the incidence of wounds decreased by three percent per day. The wound diameters were greatest on the rubber mats and smallest on the concrete floors. The diameters of the wounds increased up to an age of ten days, after which they decreased. Wound depth was less on the concrete flooring than on the rubber mats. There is an association between the number of wounds and the lying-time of the animals. In further work, the behaviour of the piglets should be studied in the first three or four days of life in relation to floor structures and quality of bedding.