Movement is a major and defining aspect of animal life. Animals are distinct from plants in that they move about within their environment, and this ability gives them a quality that we often refer to as behaviour. If an animal is hungry, it is motivated to move and search for food. The requirement animals have for space is that which is needed to accommodate this movement.
Space requirements are usually defined in terms of quantity. Often these requirements are given as units of area per animal, or in relation to body weight. Space can also differ in terms of quality. Quality may involve the shape of the space provided, or the location of resources within that space. High quality space accommodates the behaviour of the animals in relatively small amounts of area. Poor quality space only accommodates the behaviour of animals in large amounts of space are provided.
This report relates to a series of experiments we have conducted in which space has been modified by the position and orientation of feeders within a standard pen. Both the behaviour and the productivity of the animals have been studied. The goals of the research include both an evaluation of currently available pen and feeder configurations, as well as developing a model which predicts behaviour in novel conditions. The long-term goal is to address practical barn design problems using computer modelling rather than trial and error.
This series of experiments identifies the fact that feeders should be positioned such that pigs enter from the sleeping area, rather than from the back of the pen.