MDPI Contact

MDPI AG
St. Alban-Anlage 66,
4052 Basel, Switzerland
Support contact
Tel. +41 61 683 77 34
Fax: +41 61 302 89 18

For more contact information, see here.

Advanced Search

You can use * to search for partial matches.

Search Results

1 article matched your search query. Search Parameters:
Authors = Patricia A. Fleming ORCID = 0000-0002-0626-3851

Matches by word:

PATRICIA (503) , A (98900) , FLEMING (51)

View options
order results:
result details:
results per page:
Articles per page View Sort by
Displaying article 1-50 on page 1 of 1.
Export citation of selected articles as:
Open AccessArticle Predation by Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) at an Outdoor Piggery
Animals 2016, 6(10), 60; doi:10.3390/ani6100060
Received: 19 July 2016 / Revised: 22 September 2016 / Accepted: 28 September 2016 / Published: 8 October 2016
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 635 | PDF Full-text (2871 KB) | HTML Full-text | XML Full-text
Abstract
Outdoor pig operations are an alternative to intensive systems of raising pigs; however for the majority of outdoor pork producers, issues of biosecurity and predation control require significant management and (or) capital investment. Identifying and quantifying predation risk in outdoor pork operations has
[...] Read more.
Outdoor pig operations are an alternative to intensive systems of raising pigs; however for the majority of outdoor pork producers, issues of biosecurity and predation control require significant management and (or) capital investment. Identifying and quantifying predation risk in outdoor pork operations has rarely been done, but such data would be informative for these producers as part of their financial and logistical planning. We quantified potential impact of fox predation on piglets bred on an outdoor pork operation in south-western Australia. We used remote sensor cameras at select sites across the farm as well as above farrowing huts to record interactions between predators and pigs (sows and piglets). We also identified animal losses from breeding records, calculating weaning rate as a proportion of piglets born. Although only few piglets were recorded lost to fox predation (recorded by piggery staff as carcasses that are “chewed”), it is likely that foxes were contributing substantially to the 20% of piglets that were reported “missing”. Both sets of cameras recorded a high incidence of fox activity; foxes appeared on camera soon after staff left for the day, were observed tracking and taking live piglets (despite the presence of sows), and removed dead carcasses from in front of the cameras. Newly born and younger piglets appeared to be the most vulnerable, especially when they are born out in the paddock, but older piglets were also lost. A significant ( p = 0.001) effect of individual sow identification on the weaning rate, but no effect of sow age (parity), suggests that individual sow behavior towards predators influences predation risk for litters. We tracked the movement of piglet carcasses by foxes, and confirmed that foxes make use of patches of native vegetation for cover, although there was no effect of paddock, distance to vegetation, or position on the farm on weaning rate. Trials with non-toxic baits reveal high levels of non-target bait interference. Other management options are recommended, including removing hay from the paddocks to reduce the risks of sows farrowing in open paddocks, and covering or predator-proof fencing the pig carcass pit. Results of this study will have increasing relevance for the expanding outdoor/free-range pork industry, contributing to best practice guidelines for predator control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applied Ethology and Welfare of Animals)
Figures

Figure 1

Years

Subjects

Refine Subjects

Journals

Refine Journals

Article Types

Refine Types

Countries

Refine Countries
Back to Top