Abstract
Aggression is one of the major welfare concerns among group-housed sows, especially during feeding and regrouping. There are no simple solutions, but any attempt to reduce aggression should be considered. Therefore, the aim was to reduce aggression among group-housed gestating sows by feeding sows different dietary fiber using individual feeding places made from either short- or long-length partitions. Five blocks (n = 36 sows/block) of primiparous and multiparous sows were fed a dietary treatment of either 30% wheat middlings and 15% soybean hulls (MIDD-SY) or 30% distillers dried grains and 30% corn germ meal (DDGS-GM) and housed in pens (9 sows/pen) with individual feeding partitions that were either shoulder (short) or full-body (long) in length. Sow behavior, skin lesions, immune status, and performance were measured. Sow behavior, including aggression and lesion severity scores, were mainly affected by partition length. Aggressive encounters were greater and remained elevated among sows in pens with short partitions until 9 weeks post-grouping but were reduced among sows in pens with long partitions by 3 weeks. During feeding, sows in pens with short ones were more likely to be displaced than were those in pens with long ones. Percentages of time spent lying, standing, eating, and oral–nasal–facial behaviors were also differentially influenced by partition length. Dietary fiber differentially influenced immune status and productivity. For example, sows fed MIDD-SY had higher lymphocyte proliferation and increased neutrophils, while those fed DDGS-GM had deeper backfat and weaned heavier piglets. Overall, the length of the feeding partitions influenced the aggressive encounters, other behaviors, and lesion scores; in turn, the fibrous source differentially influenced several immune measures and sow productivity.
Highlights
The housing of sows in group pens during gestation is perceived to be more welfarefriendly than individual housing because it allows them to exercise and interact socially [1].sow aggression is a common problem associated with group housing, especially during feeding and regrouping of sows [2]
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding two different fiber-supplemented gestation diets to group-housed gestating sows kept in small pens with either short or long feeding partitions, this in an attempt to reduce aggression and enhance sow well-being in terms of behavior, immune status, skin lesions, and productivity
The observed behavioral patterns and immune status changes indicated that sows might have adapted; even when aggression and skin lesions were high and the immunological profile was indicative of stress, there were no negative consequences on health, performance, and productivity
Summary
Sow aggression is a common problem associated with group housing, especially during feeding and regrouping of sows [2]. Aggression during feeding may be partly attributed to a hungry sow’s competitive nature to gain access to feed or other limited resources. Housing features, such as a feeding system, often exacerbate these encounters—whether a floor-feeding or electronic sow feeding system. A competitive feeding system provides little to no protection for the individual sow; aggression around feeding is often more intense. Larger sows gain more weight and have better body condition scores; group-housed sows often have higher lesion scores and more variable conditions scores [4,5,6]. Feed restriction and feeding systems have been identified as possible factors associated with the development of aggression and oral–nasal–facial behaviors or stereotypes in dry sows
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