Behavior of swine hosted in facilities with different construction typologies

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the behavior of pigs housed in facilities with different building typologies in terms of the floor and partitions. Two treatments were compared: a pen containing an area with a depth of water, and a pen floor with leaked on the sides. Data on swine behavior were collected over seven days, and the pigs’ positions (standing, sitting, and lying down) and activities (eating, drinking, digging, interacting, walking and idling) were observed for five animals in each pen. Data were collected via visual measurement every 10 minutes and an ethogram was constructed. Measurements of environmental data were taken (dry bulb temperature, globe temperature and relative humidity), and were used to calculate the black globe temperature and humidity index. Although the pens showed differences in terms of the dry bulb temperature, this temperature can be considered thermoneutral for creation in the growth and termination phases. Animals housed in the pens with an area of water depth stood for longer, possibly due to the environmental enrichment caused by the presence of the water slide.