Eating behaviour is influenced by the onset of oestrus and diseases. For gilts, Friend (1973) reported a reduced
feed intake from 23.56±0.39 kg in weeks between successive oestrus to 19.90±0.38 kg in weeks when oestrus occurred. It is suggested that the effect of oestrus on appetite is caused by oestrogens. Furthermore, sows presenting health disorders will also modify their eating behaviour: a reduced feed intake is considered to be one of the first signs that an animal is ill. Therefore this study was designed to evaluate the potential of electronic sow feeder (ESF) measurements in detecting oestrus, lameness and other health disorders for group housed sows. The detection method suggested in this article shows a sensitivity that ranges from 39 to 75% according to the condition detected, i.e. oestrus, lameness or other health disorders. Results indicate that the detection method performs generally better than when the list of sows that have not eaten (provided by the ESF and only current tool available to the farmer) is used as alarms. The major
drawback of the detection method for the three conditions is a too high number of false alarms. Measurement of the
individual eating rank appears a relevant response variable, since it includes information on the group size.

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