| dc.description.abstract | In this study, the effect of cage enrichment on the welfare of commercially kept pregnant sows
and the possibilities to improve welfare were investigated. Forty-eight sows were observed.
Twenty-for got an enrichment (a chain); the other twenty-four sows formed the control group.
The behaviour of the sows was observed for five weeks, in order to determine both acute and
long-term changes. The behaviour was scored with a scanning method. Before the
intervention, the sows were spending 31.05±2.63% (enrichment) and 33.65±3.10% (control)
of the observation time with stereotypic behaviour. When the chain was hanging low the
enrichment sows showed 5.75% less stereotypic behaviour (p<0.05), a decrease of 19%
regardless on which moment the observations where done (acute versus long-term effects).
When the chain was low, the sows spent 25.05±2.08% of their time manipulating the chain
versus 9.71±2.68% less (p<0.05) when it was hanging high. The interest in the toy
disappeared in course of time with 7.05±2.68% (p<0.05).
The conclusion is that if a chain is used as a toy for individually kept pregnant sows, it might
be a better solution to mount it near the floor of the cage; this because it comes closer to the
natural foraging behavior of pig. It is difficult to state that a chain is useful as a toy to improve
welfare of individually kept pregnant sows. However, considering the amount of time the sows
spent with manipulating the chain, it is a cost–effective device. Furthermore, it was successful
to reduce the amount of stereotypic behaviour of the sows for the period the observations
were done. | |
