Browsing by Subject "Rubber mats"

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Gummimatten für den Liege- und Laufbereich in der Gruppenhaltung von Sauen
(2014) Baumann, Stefanie; Gallmann, Eva
This thesis concerns testing the use of rubber mats for lying and movement areas within sow housing. The associated trials were carried out at the Baden-Württemberg Centre for Education and Research, State Institute for Pig Breeding and Production (LSZ), Boxberg, and on a commercial farm. The lying and movement behaviour of sows on rubber mats, as well as related feet health, were analysed based on various indications. Finally, the costs of the rubber mats were compared against the advantages that emerged from their use. Lying behaviour was analysed through observing small static groups of loose-housed pregnant sows. The preferences of the animals themselves indicated, through their free selection, the types of flooring (hard rubber mats, soft rubber mats or bare concrete) most acceptable. Additionally, the frequency and length of time of lying positions, as well as the frequency of position changes when lying, offered information on the comfort of the respective flooring. Sow behaviour was observed with the help of video recordings. The trial involved a total of 18 throughput groups, each group remaining for a period of 3 weeks. The rubber mats were redistributed before the beginning of each new group in a randomised way to help avoid, or prevent, results being influenced by sow preference for certain parts of the compartment. Resulting animal selection of floorings within the trial showed a clear preference amongst the sows for soft, malleable, lying surfaces compared with bare concrete flooring. Soft rubber mats were preferred with 53.6% compared with 38.1% for hard rubber mats. Concrete areas were used only rarely with 8.3%. Differentiating between the lying positions established the side position as most used when lying on soft rubber mats, with 74.1%. The differences of length of time each position was maintained, and frequency of position change on the different flooring, were considered not significant in this case. Walkway analysis involved use of different flooring in the activity area by sows in a large dynamic group system. The sows could choose walkways on concrete slats or on perforated rubber mats, whereby rubber walkways were 60 cm wide. In total, four walkway variations were introduced and tested, each type subject to a throughput of four batches, each batch sojourn lasting three weeks. The first two used as familiarisation periods and the last for the trial period with video recording for behaviour observation. Results showed sows clearly favoured the rubber surfaced walkways for their movements within the activity area. Individual differences in the intensity of utilisation were not noted. With regard to elimination behaviour, the sows also indicated a clear preference for rubber mats. Despite there being more dung and urine left on the rubber mats, only a few animals were observed slipping on the resultant dirty surface. An evaluation of feet health was carried out in all three housing departments of conventional pig production (service centre, pregnant sows area and farrowing pens) whereby the main investigations with different flooring in the lying spaces (concrete floor, concrete slats, hard and soft rubber mats), took place in the service centre. Assessment of feet condition was carried each time the sows entered a new section and when they left each section. The rubber mats used in the service centre lying area showed they had a positive influence on feet health compared with results from sows kept only on concrete slats or on solid concrete flooring. In particular, there was a clear reduction in claw horn wall abrasions and dermis bleeding. Less strongly marked with rubber matting was improvement in feet health in terms of dew claw losses, sole and ball defects, bursitis and horn cracks /splits. Comparison of results from individual housing (farrowing pen) with groups (pregnant sow loose housing) showed that particularly soles and balls were subject to higher wear in the group system. On the other hand, the problem was insufficient horn wear with sows’ feet in individual housing (farrowing pens). Economic assessment of rubber mats was undertaken using additional information from a working farm. The cost of the rubber mats was assessed against the actual advantages offered, arrived at through model calculation. Results show that using rubber mats clearly pays off on farms where feet diseases and lameness cause high economic penalties, although the financial advantages are very hard to quantify currently. Much more quantifiable are the advantages for the pig producer being able to offer animals a welfare-oriented production system through the use of rubber matting while at the same time using the system to strengthen marketing and address new sales possibilities based on a better image for animal production and associated improvement in consumer acceptance.