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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » Livestock Behavior Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #69417
Title: BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT OF COPING STRATEGIES IN PIGS.

Author
item BORD, ERICA - PURDUE UNIVERSITY
item Morrow, Julie
item CURTIS, STANLEY - PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
item TAYLOR, I - UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Submitted to: Journal of Animal Science Supplement
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Behavioral indicators of psychological well-being are needed for agricultural animals. This experiment was conducted to identify patterns of coping behavior in pigs in response to an objectively defined, moderately frustrating situation. At the AM feeding, each pig (in individual stalls) was offered a ration (1.25 x maintenance, based on weekly body wt) of a balanced diet. Pigs were trained d 1-18, during the PM feeding, to stay in the 8 respective free-access trough spaces until finished eating; if a pig left, its space was closed for that day. D 19-25, only 6 of the 8 pigs had access, and the other two pigs were assumed to be moderately frustrated by lack of access, to PM feed. Behavior of all pigs was videorecorded for 3 24-h periods, d 17 (prefrustration during PM feeding) and 24 and 25 (frustration). Frequency and duration of stand, lie, walk, eat, mount other pig, dog-sit, and oronasal contact with waterer, floor, other pig, and pen perimeter, respectively, were registere from video replay for 2 pigs that fed (retrospective category F) at all PM feedings on d 19-25 and the two pigs that most often did not feed (NF). Time, stand, walk and contact waterer were greater for NF pigs. NF pigs spent less time in contact with floor. These preliminary results confirm the existence of significant interindividual differences in behavior and suggest that background duration of certain maintenance and oronasal behavior patterns may be predictive of an individual pig's proneness to eventually being in the NF category.