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Animals
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Advances in Swine Housing, Health and Welfare
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Advances in Swine Housing, Health and Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Pigs".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2025 | Viewed by 8727

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Annalisa Scollo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Largo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
Interests: housing; pig; welfare; health; management; production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pig farming is changing towards the modern concept of livestock. New legal requirements, consumers’ and citizens’ opinions, challenging epidemiological conditions, and an increased pork demand are the drivers of an imminent transition. New housing conditions and the need for improved welfare are the main discussed issues: the ban of farrowing and gestation crates are just an example among several other implementations, including the advent of precision livestock farming to monitor environmental and welfare outputs. The scientific literature needs to fill the gap in knowledge in this developing field to avoid the risk of being unprepared for the transition.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect theoretical and practical knowledge to drive the pig production evolution.

Dr. Annalisa Scollo
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 submissions that pass pre-check are 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 semimonthly 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 2400 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

  • housing
  • pig
  • welfare
  • health
  • management
  • production

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 195 KiB  
Article
Effect of Pen Space Allowances on Growth Performance of Finishing Pigs
by Ryan S. Samuel, Joseph E. Darrington, Benoit St-Pierre, Crystal L. Levesque and Robert C. Thaler
Animals 2025, 15(10), 1451; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15101451 - 17 May 2025
Viewed by 103
Abstract
Available floor space allocation recommendations are based on considerably lighter market-weight pigs than currently in the United States (i.e., ~130 kg). Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of individual floor space allocation on overall growth performance and carcass [...] Read more.
Available floor space allocation recommendations are based on considerably lighter market-weight pigs than currently in the United States (i.e., ~130 kg). Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of individual floor space allocation on overall growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs raised to >135 kg. Over 49 d, three floor space per pig allocations were tested: 0.88, 0.75, and 0.61 m2/pig. When the average weight of pigs in the barn reached 135 kg, the heaviest pigs from each pen were marketed in four cuts, approximately one week apart. Overall, weekly feed disappearance per pig, the mean body weights of pigs, and gain:feed was not affected by floor space allocation (p > 0.10). Pigs remaining in pens with 0.61 m2/pig tended (p < 0.09) to be lighter after the first cut than pigs raised with 0.88 m2/pig. However, there was no difference in body weight between the floor space allocations when the final group was marketed (143.9 ± 0.6 kg; p = 0.13). Carcass lean percent tended (p = 0.08) to be greater (56.8 vs. 56.4%) from pigs provided 0.61 m2/pig of floor space. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Swine Housing, Health and Welfare)
14 pages, 764 KiB  
Article
Hair Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEA(S)) and Cortisol/DHEA(S) Ratio as Long-Lasting Biomarkers of Clinical Syndromes Exhibited by Piglets Early in Life
by Annalisa Scollo, Alessio Cotticelli, Tanja Peric, Alice Perrucci, Alberto Prandi and Paolo Ferrari
Animals 2025, 15(7), 1032; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15071032 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 393
Abstract
Poor health and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases are among the main sources of economic losses in the pig industry worldwide, and they also serve as indicators of compromised animal welfare. However, there is limited information on long-lasting biomarkers of poor health and [...] Read more.
Poor health and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases are among the main sources of economic losses in the pig industry worldwide, and they also serve as indicators of compromised animal welfare. However, there is limited information on long-lasting biomarkers of poor health and common infections experienced by piglets early in life. Hair cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA(S)), and their ratio have been proposed as components of the mammalian stress response due to the activation of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis and were investigated in this study using 30 batches of pigs from 16 farms. The research hypothesis was that batches of piglets experiencing clinical syndromes (as indicated by enteric, neurological, cutaneous, and locomotor scores) during suckling would exhibit a different pattern of resilience and allostatic load later in life compared to healthy ones. Hair from 25 gilts per batch were collected at either 3.5 or 9 months of age, and hormone extraction was subsequently performed. The farm of origin and the age of the animals significantly influenced hormone concentrations. Moreover, batches affected by enteric disease showed lower DHEA(S) levels (p < 0.0001; 15.89 vs. 23.51 pg/mg) and higher cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio (p < 0.0001; 82.83 vs. 55.02) than healthy batches. Similar results were observed in batches with a neurological syndrome (DHEA(S): p < 0.0001; 12.91 vs. 19.43; cortisol/DHEA(S) ratio: p < 0.0001; 97.15 vs. 70.26 pg/mg). These results suggest that pig hair biomarkers carry an intrinsic and temporally stable signal related to early life health status. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Swine Housing, Health and Welfare)
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13 pages, 3151 KiB  
Article
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Serotypes by Multiplex PCR Identification and Evaluation of Lung Lesions in Pigs from Piedmont (Italy) Farms
by Matteo Cuccato, Sara Divari, Silvia Ciaramita, Alessandra Sereno, Domenico Campelli, Pier Giuseppe Biolatti, Bartolomeo Biolatti, Francesco Meliota, Enrico Bollo and Francesca Tiziana Cannizzo
Animals 2024, 14(15), 2255; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14152255 - 3 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2050
Abstract
Porcine pleuropneumonia (PPP) is one of the main causes leading to massive losses in the pig industry, with high economic impacts. Among different etiological agents, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) is responsible for severe fibrinous-necrotizing pleuropneumonia. A total of 19 different APP serotypes are currently [...] Read more.
Porcine pleuropneumonia (PPP) is one of the main causes leading to massive losses in the pig industry, with high economic impacts. Among different etiological agents, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) is responsible for severe fibrinous-necrotizing pleuropneumonia. A total of 19 different APP serotypes are currently recognized. This study aimed to identify APP serotypes isolated from pneumonic lesions in naturally infected and dead pigs in the Piedmont Region and to describe lesions. A total of 107 dead pigs with a suspected PPP diagnosis were included in this study. Lungs were evaluated using gross-pathology scoring systems, histopathology, and APP isolation and serotypes identification by multiplex PCR were conducted. Gross lung lesions were mainly represented by fibrinous pneumonia and pleuropneumonia. APP was isolated in 20/107 (18.7%) samples. PCR indicated APP DNA presence in 53/107 (49.5%) of lung samples. The most observed serotypes were serotype 2 in 24/53 (45.3%) and serotype 6 in 13/53 (24.5%) samples. Moreover, multiplex PCR results suggested a coinfection of different serotypes in five samples. This study emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach, utilizing various techniques, such as gross- and histopathology, and bacteriological culture and PCR, to enhance the diagnosis of APP infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Swine Housing, Health and Welfare)
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14 pages, 3146 KiB  
Article
Purine Metabolism and Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway Abnormalities in Diarrheal Weaned Piglets Identified Using Metabolomics
by Mingyu Wang, Qin Zhong, Huailu Xin, Bing Yu, Jun He, Jie Yu, Xiangbing Mao, Zhiqing Huang, Yuheng Luo, Junqiu Luo, Hui Yan, Aimin Wu, Junning Pu and Ping Zheng
Animals 2024, 14(3), 522; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14030522 - 5 Feb 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1849
Abstract
Post-weaning diarrhea significantly contributes to the high mortality in pig production, but the metabolic changes in weaned piglets with diarrhea remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the differential metabolites in the urine of diarrheal weaned piglets and those of healthy weaned piglets [...] Read more.
Post-weaning diarrhea significantly contributes to the high mortality in pig production, but the metabolic changes in weaned piglets with diarrhea remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the differential metabolites in the urine of diarrheal weaned piglets and those of healthy weaned piglets to reveal the metabolic changes associated with diarrhea in weaned piglets. Nine 25-day-old piglets with diarrhea scores above 16 and an average body weight of 5.41 ± 0.18 kg were selected for the diarrhea group. Corresponding to the body weight and sex of the diarrhea group, nine 25-month-old healthy piglets with similar sex and body weights of 5.49 ± 0.21 kg were selected as the control group. Results showed that the serum C-reactive protein and cortisol of piglets in the diarrhea group were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression of TNF-α, IFN-γ in the jejunum and colon, and IL-1β in the jejunum were increased in diarrhea piglets (p < 0.05), accompanied by a reduction in the mRNA expression of ZO-1, ZO-2, and CLDN1 in the jejunum and colon (p < 0.05); mRNA expression of OCLN in the colon also occurred (p < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis of urine revealed increased levels of inosine, hypoxanthine, guanosine, deoxyinosin, glucosamine, glucosamine-1-p, N-Acetylmannosamine, chitobiose, and uric acid, identified as differential metabolites in diarrhea piglets compared to the controls. In summary, elevated weaning stress and inflammatory disease were associated with the abnormalities of purine metabolism and the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway of weaned piglets. This study additionally indicated the presence of energy metabolism-related diseases in diarrheal weaned piglets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Swine Housing, Health and Welfare)
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15 pages, 1734 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Farrowing Pen Design, Season, and Sow Parity on Litter Performance and Piglet Mortality
by Verônica Madeira Pacheco, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Gary A. Rohrer, Rafael Vieira de Sousa and Luciane Silva Martello
Animals 2024, 14(2), 325; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020325 - 20 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3079
Abstract
Piglet mortality during lactation is a significant concern in swine production, influenced by complex interactions involving sow, piglet, environmental, and management factors. While crushing by the sow may be the ultimate cause of piglet mortality, there are many factors influencing the outcome, including [...] Read more.
Piglet mortality during lactation is a significant concern in swine production, influenced by complex interactions involving sow, piglet, environmental, and management factors. While crushing by the sow may be the ultimate cause of piglet mortality, there are many factors influencing the outcome, including parity, thermal stress, and animal housing systems. New farrowing systems are continuously being developed; however, it is difficult for producers to make decisions without any scientific basis. This study aimed to assess the impact of different farrowing pen layouts on piglet performance, considering parity and season. A total of 546 sows and 9123 piglets were monitored across 36 lactation cycles. Sows were randomly assigned to three farrowing pen layouts (standard, diagonal, and offset) in three rooms (20 sows by room). All farrowing pens had the same space allocations (2.7 m by 1.8 m and 2.1 m by 0.6 m for the sow area). The three types of farrowing pens were blocked by position within the room. Piglet performance traits (percent of stillborns, percent of mortality, percent of overlays, and average daily weight gain: ADG) and sows traits (health and parity) were monitored following US Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) procedures. Results indicated that treatment, parity, and season influenced some piglet performance traits. The offset farrowing pen had a lower percent of stillborns compared to the standard. No significant differences were observed between the diagonal crate and the other treatments. When evaluating high mortality sow (>two piglets), the offset and standard treatments had a lower percent of overlays. Piglets from first-parity sows had lower ADG than those from higher-parity sows. A higher percent of overlays were observed in Autumn and Summer compared to Spring and Winter, and Summer had lower average daily weight gain than other seasons. The results suggest that modifying the layout (offset), with sows placed further away from the heating source, can reduce the percent of overlays in sows with high mortality (>2 piglets). In addition, the influence of season on the piglet production traits demonstrated the importance of proper management of the environment, even in systems with a certain level of climatic control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Swine Housing, Health and Welfare)
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