In this project, an operant mechanism that will allow sows housed in\u00a0a group system to control their own environmental temperature was\u00a0developed. The mechanism was configured with a manual control\u00a0switch that the sows can access and operate, which in turn activated the supplementary room heating system, as well as a localized radiant heater\u00a0above the location of the switch as an immediate reward. Testing of a\u00a0prototype system installed in a controlled-environment chamber with\u00a0two sows showed that the mechanism functioned satisfactorily to allow\u00a0the sows to control their environmental temperature. Preparations for\u00a0subsequent tests in group-housed sow gestation rooms to assess overall\u00a0heating cost savings, associated sow behavior, and optimal dietary\u00a0requirements when raised at lower temperatures are underway.<\/p>\n
It was hypothesized that sows housed in groups can be maintained\u00a0at lower environmental temperature because the sows have the\u00a0opportunity to exhibit thermoregulatory behavior such as huddling\u00a0when the barn temperature is lowered, thereby saving on energy to\u00a0heat the barn. As such, the objective of this project was to develop\u00a0a mechanism that will allow group-housed sows to operate the\u00a0heating system in their airspace and maintain the environment at\u00a0their preferred temperature. \u00a0An operant mechanism comprised of a manual control switch\u00a0that operated the existing supplementary heating system for the\u00a0sow room as well as a small radiant heater placed above the area\u00a0of the switch as an immediate feedback reward was developed. \u00a0Th e underlying principle for this operant mechanism has been\u00a0successfully implemented in a study to assess the temperature\u00a0preference of nursery pigs (Bench and Gonyou 2007).<\/p>\n