Browsing by Subject "Rearing"

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Attraktives Beschäftigungsmaterial zur Reduktion von Schwanz- und Ohrschäden beim Schwein
(2021) Kauselmann, Karen; Schrader, Lars
Tail biting is a behavioural disorder that often occurs in commercially housed domestic pigs. It may affect welfare of involved pigs and cause economic losses for the farm. The causes of tail biting are multifactorial, which is why preventive tail docking is the most comon method to reduce tail damages in pigs until today. However, besides invasive interventions, the use of enrichment materials can reduce tail biting by increasing species-specific exploration behaviour. Thereby, the rapid habituation of pigs poses a challenge in the selection of enrichment materials. Within the research project “Label-Fit – Schweinehaltung fit für das Tierschutzlabel”, different plant-based enrichment materials for rearing and fattening pigs were investigated, which can be used in conventional housing systems with slatted floors. The aim of the present study was to identify attractive enrichment material based on the exploration duration. Furthermore, the influence of the enrichment materials on tail and ear damages was investigated in pigs with undocked tails. Prior to three long-term investigations, two choice tests were carried out for better delimination of plant-based enrichment materials considered attractive for pigs. Therefore, pigs were offered enrichment materials of different structure or, in the second test, straw with different edible additives. In both tests materials were offered in parallel in six boxes. By means of the individually recorded exploration durations, pigs showed clear preferences for pelleted materials and preferred chopped straw with edible additives, such as maize kernels. These results were used to select enrichment materials for further long-term investigations. In the three long-term investigations, material dispensers were equipped with an UHF-RFID system to record exploration durations of the pigs at the material dispenser filled with enrichment materials. Enrichment materials were offered in an alternating order and at each change of material the tails and ears of the pigs were recorded according to the “Deutscher Schweine Bonitur Schlüssel” (DSBS) regarding partial losses and skin injuries. In the first long-term investigation, rearing and fattening pigs received four enrichment materials with different structures (lucerne pellets, straw pellets, chopped hay and chopped straw) in a two-weekly change. Rearing pigs preferred pelletized materials, while fattening pigs showed preferences for chopped hay and lucerne pellets. Furthermore, exploration duration increased from rearing to fattening. When offering the enrichment materials that achieved the highest exploration durations in rearing (lucerne pellets or straw pellets), the fewest partial losses of the tails were recorded. However, when offering straw pellets in rearing, most injuries at the tails occurred. The second long-term investigation dealed with the question, if exploration duration of rearing and fattening pigs for chopped straw can be increased by adding maize kernels. Compared with pigs that received chopped straw without maize, pigs that received chopped straw with maize kernels showed higher exploration durations at the material dispenser during rearing and fattening. Furthermore, exploration duration could be increased from rearing to fattening, although there was no change of the material within the groups. Additionally, saisonal differences in the diurnal pattern of exploration of pigs were found. Interestingly, pigs that received chopped straw without maize kernels showed fewer length losses of the tails compared to pigs that received chopped straw with maize kernels. In the third long-term investigation, rearing and fattening pigs received different flavoured straw pellets in a weekly change. Different preferences for flavours were found between rearing and fattening pigs. During rearing, highest exploration durations were recorded for straw pellets with fried onion flavour or almond flavour. During fattening, pigs explored straw pellets without flavour or with strawberry flavour longest. Exploration duration could be maintained at a constant level from rearing to fattening. Most skin injuries at the tails occurred when using vanilla flavour or fried onion flavour during rearing, whereby vanilla, unlike fried onion, was one of the flavours with the lowest exploration durations. On the basis of the present investigations clear preferences of pigs for specific plant-based enrichment materials could be shown, which increased species-specific exploration behaviour. However, enrichment materials for which high exploration durations were recorded could not reduce tail damages, such as partial losses or skin injuries. This illustrates that, apart from the access to enrichment material, further factors influence the prevalence of tail damages, which have to be considered in relation to each other.
Ethologische und klinische Untersuchungen zur Käfig- und Bodenhaltung bei Mastkaninchen
(2010) Toplak, Andrej; Reiter, Klaus
The aim of this project was to evaluate the effect of different rearing systems on the basis of ethological and clinical parameters in young domestic rabbits kept for meat production. Newly developed pen housing was compared with the conventional cage-rearing. Four experiments were performed between June 2005 and July 2006 with total 1349 animals. ZIKA-hybrid rabbits were assigned into different rearing systems after weaning. The fattening period lasted eight weeks. In the cages the group size was four animals (8.3 animals/m2) and in pens 24 animals (7.8 animals/m2). In experiment A the conventional cage rearing was compared with the pen rearing on plastic perforated floor and with pen rearing with straw litter. The effect of the elevated ledges was analysed in experiment B. The influence of straw as enrichment was studied in experiment C. The possibility of separated fattening of male and female growing rabbits was tested in the experiment D. The housing had a significant effect on some important behavioural traits of the animals. The frequencies of locomotion in pens were compared with cages significantly higher. This could be due to the restricted possibility of movement in the conventional cages compared to the pens. The intensive locomotion was performed very seldom and less markedly in the cages, very likely due to the lack of space. As opposed to that, the intensive multiple hops could be observed very frequently in the pens. In the cages only modified single hops could be performed. The elevated slates had no significant effect on the frequency of locomotion. In the cages with elevated slates the frequencies of locomotion were still significantly lower compared to the pens. The results obtained by peripheral computed tomography confirmed the behavioural observations of locomotory frequences. The pQCT-parameters were higher in pen reared animals. The differences between the animals without the elevated ledges and the pen reared animals were especially significant. Particularly the strain-strength-index was bigger when it comes to the animals in the pens. The major differences were determined in the diaphysis of the analysed bones. The aggressive interactions occurred very rarely and were not intensive. The majority of aggressive interactions resulted only in minor bite wounds. By clinical examinations predominantly small scratches and small superficial bite wounds were found. No clear differences could be determined between different rearing systems. Animals can bear easily minor scratches and bite wounds without any long-term residual effects. Severe aggression and problematic wounds were observed very seldom. In experiment D the percentage of the animals with injuries was higher in pens than in cages. The percentage of the animals with lesions was especially high in the mixed groups with males and females in the experiment. In general more males than females had bite injuries. Bare cage environment may be averse to animals. The animals may be unable to adapt, and show abnormalities of behaviour. Abnormal behaviour was shown independently of the housing system. The rate of abnormal behaviour decreased in pens. However, it is also important to note that the pen-raising was not sufficient to completely prevent the development of abnormal behaviour. The frequency of the scratching and gnawing on the equipment could be significantly reduced with straw as enrichment. Only minor differences were found between the tested rearing systems regarding blood parameters. Although some of these differences were significant. Mortality did not differ between the treatments. Most of the mortality was caused by diarrhoea in the second and third week of the experiment. The daily weight gain was significantly different between the treatments in experiments A, B and C. The animals in pens with litter achieved the lowest daily weight gains. On the other hand, the daily weight gains of the animals in pens with perforated floor were comparable with the daily weight gains of the animals reared in cages. In experiment D no differences were found in this respect. In all four experiments no differences between the treatments were found in daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio. The rabbits showed only a weak interest for straw litter. This may be due to the attraction towards the cleanliness and dryness of the perforated plastic floor compared to the litter. The use of litter may also depend on the environmental temperature. Especially the pen housing on plastic perforated floor with straw in the wire container showed positive effects on the behaviour of the rabbits without reduction of performance. More studies are needed before any final conclusion about the appropriateness of the group housing in developed pens can be made. These results have to be proven in further field studies under commercial conditions.
Improvement of the acceptance of a solid lying area by fattening pigs and rearing piglets
(2022) Opderbeck, Svenja; Gallmann, Eva
Society’s demands for more and better animal welfare in Germany have increased in recent years which has been promoted by the introduction of a lot of animal welfare labels and legislative changes. Therefore, housing systems with fully slatted floors, a minimum space allowance and a few employment opportunities are no longer state of the art. However, the implementation of more animal welfare confronts farmers with a large number of challenges. Among other things, there are still many problems with the integration of a solid lying area, due to the high risk of fouling and the resulting poor indoor climate. Functionally reliable solutions were to be found in the project “Label-Fit” for the integration of a solid lying area into existing conventional housing systems for rearing piglets and fattening pigs. Based on literature research and expert discussions, the influencing factors group size, pen structure, type of perforated floor, light intensity, a cooled/heated lying area and a cover over the lying area were examined. These factors were investigated in four fattening and two rearing compartments over three years (five fattening periods with a total of 2200 pigs; six rearing periods with a total of 1152 piglets) in the Bildungs- und Wissenszentrum Boxberg (LSZ). The lying behavior, the fouling of the pens and animals and various climate parameters were recorded and evaluated to assess the acceptance of the lying area. In order to examine the influence of the light intensity, spotlights were located over the slatted area in fattening pens to make this area unattractive for lying and influence the lying behavior and the soiling of the lying surface positively. This increased light intensity leads to significantly more pigs lying on the solid lying area, but it did not affect the fouling. Furthermore, the effect of a cooled lying area on fattening pigs was tested. The cooling of the lying area leads to significantly more animals on the lying area even at higher temperatures, and the fouling of the animals was reduced significantly. The fouling of the lying area was not affected; however, the fouling was very low in this examination. The temperature requirements in the rearing of piglets change greatly during the rearing period, consequently, two heating systems and a floor cooling system were examined in two rearing compartments. There was no difference between the two heating systems on the lying behavior. However, significantly more piglets lay on the cooled lying area compared with the control pen during the last weeks. The fouling of the pens and animals was very low but not affected by the cooling or heating systems. Two of the fattening compartments were converted with pens for 18 pigs and two compartments with pens for 28 pigs. The two group sizes could only be compared descriptively due to structural and temporal differences. The acceptance and the cleanliness of the lying area in the groups with 28 animals were better than in the smaller groups. Furthermore, two different arrangements of the perforated area on one side or two sides of the lying area were tested, but only descriptively. It was shown that more animals were lying on the lying area in the pen with the slatted area on one side, but the solid lying area was dirtier. The position of the feeding can also influence the acceptance of the designated functional area. Therefore, two feeder positions were examined descriptively: In the middle and at the edge of the lying area. The results showed that more pigs were lying on the solid lying area when the feeding was placed at the edge. In addition, the fouling of the lying area and partly also of the animals was reduced in pens with feeding at the edge. The attractiveness of lying in the designated elimination area can be decreased by the type of floor. Therefore, a concrete slatted area was compared with a triangular grid area. Significantly more pigs lay on the solid lying area in pens with a triangular grid, especially when the temperature was low. Finally, the influence of the heated lying area and a cover over a part of the lying area was compared. The results showed that a cover over the lying area seems to lead to more pigs lying on the solid lying area, which was also fouled less than in pens with heated lying areas (no significant differences). Based on the results of this study and the results of other studies, recommendations for an optimized pen structure with a solid lying area are summarized in a decision aid for the structuring of a pen for fattening pigs or rearing piglets. In addition, as part of this dissertation, an optimized pen for fattening pigs with a solid lying area was designed. The results of the dissertation show that there are many ways to implement a solid lying area. A combination of several of these approaches has the potential to improve the acceptance of a solid lying area in conventional pig housing systems.