Relation between parity and feed intake, fear of humans and social behaviour in non-lactating sows group-housed under various on-farm conditions
The number of group-housed, non-lactating sows is increasing rapidly in Europe. However, systematic information of the between-sow variation in animal welfare related factors under various on-farm conditions is lacking. Indicators of feed intake, fear of humans and social behaviour in non-lactating, group-housed sows were monitored in 14 herds. Regarding indicators of feed intake, the results […]
Interaction between sows’ aggressiveness post mixing and skin lesions recorded several weeks later
Group housing of pigs leads inevitably to more or less serious agonistic interactions during the establishment of the social rank order of the group. In order to reduce the number of severe agonistic interactions and thus the negative effects on well-being and performance, the use of genetic selection of calm sows maybe a possible strategy. […]
Analysis of the phenotypic link between behavioural traits at mixing and increased long-term social stability in group-housed pigs
Mixing of growing pigs results in aggressive contests between group members. As aggression serves to establish dominance relationships, it is possible that increased initial aggression may facilitate the formation of social hierarchies. The objective of the study was to investigate whether there is a phenotypic link between behavioural traits of aggression at mixing and increased […]
Behaviour, wounds, weight loss and adrenal weight of rabbit does as affected by semi-group housing
Group housing is often assumed to improve the welfare of gregarious species. Whether this is actually the case depends on the advantages (e.g. more opportunity for social and locomotor behaviour) and disadvantages (e.g. increased fighting and wounding) induced by the specific housing type. We evaluated the effects of a semi-group system (grouping four does for […]