Eating Behaviour in Large Groups: Learning How Pigs Perceive Their Environment

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on January 1, 2008

In order to determine how finisher pigs perceive their environment and the impact that could have on our management we looked at their eating behaviour in both large, small and crowded group situations. Our studies on eating behaviour of pigs in large groups have demonstrated that pigs make use of the entire pen, visiting most if not all feeders regularly. The inquisitiveness leading to this extensive use of the pen is evident in a large number of feeder visits during the first week, and may contribute to poor initial growth in the system. When feeders are concentrated in one area of the pen, making it more difficult to get to a feeder, pigs in large groups reduce their number of meals, but compensate by having longer meals. Crowded pigs also reduced their number of meals, but they did not increase the length of feeding or maintain their total eating time and feed intake. The crowded pigs demonstrated a loss of appetite compared to the pigs in large groups, even though both conditions resulted in fewer meals. Therefore, the adaptability of pigs in large groups allows us to broaden the scope of our management options to include not only large groups, but also concentrated feeding areas within the pen.

© Prairie Swine Centre

• Home
• Jobs
• About
• Research
• Training
• Publications
• Contacts