Special Issue "Behaviour of Pigs in Relation to Housing Environment"
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Pigs".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2021.
Special Issue Editor
Interests: pig; swine; rabbit; farm animal behavior; animal behavior; ethology; animal welfare
Special Issue Information
A precise knowledge of animal behavior is a prerequisite for assessing animal welfare in modern farming systems. Despite increasing interest in this research field in recent years, there are still many questions to be answered, especially with regard to pigs’ behavior and welfare. Current problems such as tail biting or piglet crushing still have to be solved, and the impact of the pigs’ environment on their behavior and welfare should be further elucidated, aiming to increase animal welfare. Therefore, more research on pig behavior in different (housing) environments is necessary, and the relation of behavioral aspects to stress and welfare needs to be explored. There may also be ways to positively influence pigs’ behavior and welfare, for example, by new methods of environmental enrichment, using also the pigs’ cognitive abilities. This Special Issue focuses on new insights into the behavior and welfare of pigs depending on their environment. For that, animals’ housing and social environment can be considered. Research papers on domestic pigs in intensive livestock systems are as welcome as studies from free-ranging or other alternative systems. Research articles on wild boars are also encouraged when investigating fundamental environmental influences on their behavior and welfare.
Dr. Michaela Fels
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- swine
- domestic pig
- wild boar
- behavior
- welfare
- environment
- housing
Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Comparative assessment of compressed algae as a potential manipulable material in growing pigs
Pol, A. Huneau-Salaun, S. Gallien, Y. Ramonet and N. Rose
Pigs are naturally motivated to explore their environment, but this behavior, involving searching and chewing, is thwarted under commercial rearing conditions because of a global poor environment when pigs are reared on slatted floor. To prevent pigs to redirect their exploratory behavior to the housing equipment or to their penmates and so to prevent tail biting, the Council Directive 2008/120/EC mandatories environmental enrichment. Here, we assessed the qualities of a material made of an algae-based cylinder according to the requirements of the EU recommendation. Assessment of pig welfare was made on a set of behavioral, physiological, health and productivity indicators. The algae material was compared with metal chains and with wood logs to appreciate the potential advantage of this new material on pig welfare. The study involved 444 pigs from two successive batches of 20 litters each. During the suckling period, half of the farrowing pens received a 380 g algae cylinder and control pens received no material. From weaning to fattening period, algae cylinders, wood blocks or metal chains were provided to the pigs and distributed equally across the pens. Consumption of the algae cylinders increased from less than one cylinder during the suckling period to 1.4±0.6 cylinders in nursery pens and finally to 3.5±1.5 cylinders in fattening pens. Behavioral observations showed that material manipulations were different between batches. During the first weeks after weaning, pigs from the first batch manipulated more frequently the enrichments than those of second batch and manipulated more frequently the metal chain than the other materials (3.9 % observations vs 1.2 % for algae and 2.5 % for wood, first week, P < 0.001). No difference was observed in second batch between materials. During fattening period, pigs from the second batch manipulated more frequently the enrichments, with no differences between materials. No difference was observed in the first batch. Up to five pigs were observed manipulating the material at the same time, whatever it is, and the majority of pigs came to manipulate the materials. Enrichment material made from algae and given during the suckling period did not appear to promote manipulating behavior in piglets after weaning. Salivary cortisol, used as biomarker to measure stress levels before and after transfers from farrowing to nursery pen and from nursery to fattening pen, were similar between pig groups which were given different materials. No negative effect was noticed on pig health. Performance and body condition were similar between groups, which were given different materials. According to Commission Recommendation (EU) 2016/336 and regarding their characteristics, algae cylinders can be categorized as suboptimal enrichment materials while metal chains or wood blocks are materials of marginal interest. However, observations of pig behavior showed that the algae cylinders, despite their higher ranking, were found less attractive for pigs than these other materials in this study.