Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T23:52:32.344Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence on tail-biting in weaning pigs of crude fibre content and different crude fibre components in pigs' rations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2020

A. Honeck Open the ORCID record for A. Honeck [Opens in a new window] ,
J. Ahlhorn ,
O. Burfeind ,
M. Gertz ,
E. grosse Beilage ,
M. Hasler ,
K. Tölle ,
C. Visscher  and
J. Krieter
A. Honeck*
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, 24098 Kiel, Germany
J. Ahlhorn
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science; Livestock Farming Systems, Goettingen University, 37075Goettingen, Germany
O. Burfeind
Affiliation:
Chamber of Agriculture of Schleswig-Holstein, 24327 Blekendorf, Germany
M. Gertz
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, 24098 Kiel, Germany
E. grosse Beilage
Affiliation:
Field Station for Epidemiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559Hannover, Germany
M. Hasler
Affiliation:
Division of Variation Statistics, Kiel University, 24098 Kiel, Germany
K. Tölle
Affiliation:
ISN Projekt GmbH, 49401Damme, Germany
C. Visscher
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559Hannover, Germany
J. Krieter
Affiliation:
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, 24098 Kiel, Germany
*
Author for correspondence: A. Honeck, E-mail: ahoneck@tierzucht.uni-kiel.de
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyse the influence on tail-biting in undocked pigs during the rearing period of crude fibre in piglets' rations. All pigs were fed the same pre-starter until weaning. The study comprised two trials with four experimental groups each. The first trial contained: a control group (CG1) with conventional feed (up to 40 g/kg crude fibre), two groups with an increased crude fibre content of up to 50 g/kg (G5) and 60 g/kg (G6), respectively, and one group with conventional feed and crude fibre provision ad libitum (AL). The second trial consisted of a control group (CG2) which received the same conventional feed as CG1 and three treatment groups with either soya hulls (SS), dried sugar beet pulp (DP) or oat fibre (OF) admixed to their ration, to achieve a crude fibre content of 60 g/kg in all three groups. The rearing week, the batch, the treatment group (only in trial one) and the interaction between batch and treatment group had a significant influence on tail-lesions (P < 0.05). The tail-biting process started in rearing week 3 (trial one) and 5 (trial two), respectively. Due to the low frequency of tail-biting during the present study, crude fibre seems to have no major influence on tail-biting during the rearing period. This unexpected result may be caused by the optimized conditions in which the piglets were kept and the intensive animal observation carried out by the employees. However, the batch effect was most influential.

Keywords

Abnormal behaviourcannibalismcrude fibrefeedinggrowing pigtail-biting
Type
Animal Research Paper
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 158 , Issue 3 , April 2020 , pp. 233 - 240
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

2008/120/EG. Richtlinie 2008/120/EG des Rates vom 18. Dezember 2008 über Mindestanforderungen für den Schutz von Schweinen.Google Scholar
2010/63/EU. Richtlinie 2010/63/EU des europäischen Parlaments und des Rates vom 22. September 2010 zum Schutz der für wissenschaftliche Zwecke verwendeten Tiere.Google Scholar
Abriel, M and Jais, C (2013) Influence of housing conditions on the appearance of cannibalism in weaning piglets. Landtechnik 68, 389–394.Google Scholar
Abriel, M and Jais, C (2014) Influence of pen design and space allowance on tail biting in weaning piglets. Landtechnik 69, 308–314.Google Scholar
Anonymous (2016) Deutscher Schweine Boniturschlüssel (DSBS). Available at https://www.fli.de/fileadmin/FLI/ITT/Deutscher_Schweine_Boniturschluessel_2016-06-30_de.pdf, version of 30.06.2016.Google Scholar
Arey, DS (1991) Tail-biting in pigs. Farm Building Progress. pp. 20–23.Google Scholar
Benard, M, Schuitmaker, TJ and de Cock Buning, T (2013) Scientists and Dutch Pig farmers in dialogue about tail biting: unravelling the mechanism of multi-stakeholder learning. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 24, 1178.Google Scholar
Büttner, K, Czycholl, I, Basler, H and Krieter, J (2018) Effects of an intensified human-animal interaction on tail biting in pigs during the rearing period. The Journal of Agricultural Science 156, 1039–1046.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, LN and Cooper, JJ (2001) Observations on the pre- and post-weaning behaviour of piglets reared in commercial indoor and outdoor environments. Animal Science 72, 75–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
da Silva, CS, van den Borne, JJGC, Gerrits, WJJ, Kemp, B and Bolhuis, JE (2012) Effects of dietary fibres with different physicochemical properties on feeding motivation in adult female pigs. Physiology & Behaviour 107, 218–230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
D'Eath, RB, Arnott, G, Turner, SP, Jensen, T, Lahrmann, HP, Busch, ME, Niemi, JK, Lawrence, AB and Sandøe, P (2014) Injurious tail biting in pigs: how can it be controlled in existing systems without tail docking? Animal: An International Journal of Animal Bioscience 8, 1479–1497.10.1017/S1751731114001359CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
D'Eath, RB, Jack, M, Futro, A, Talbot, D, Zhu, Q, Barclay, D and Baxter, EM (2018) Automatic early warning of tail biting in pigs: 3D cameras can detect lowered tail posture before an outbreak. PloS one 13. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194524.Google ScholarPubMed
de Leeuw, JA, Bolhuis, JE, Bosch, G and Gerrits, WJJ (2008) Effects of dietary fibre on behaviour and satiety in pigs. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 67, 334–342.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Di Martino, G, Capello, K, Scollo, A, Gottardo, F, Stefani, AL, Rampin, F, Schiavon, E, Marangon, S and Bonfanti, L (2013) Continuous straw provision reduces prevalence of oesophago-gastric ulcer in pigs slaughtered at 170 kg (heavy pigs). Research in Veterinary Science 95, 1271–1273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, SA (2003) Intake of nutrients from pasture by pigs. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 62, 257–265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
EFSA (2007) The risks associated with tail biting in pigs and possible means to reduce the need for tail docking considering the different housing and husbandry systems. The EFSA Journal 611, 1–13.Google Scholar
Galli, MC, Scollo, A, Contiero, B and Gottardo, F (2018) Ban on tail docking in pigs: the effect of straw as an environmental enrichment on the control of the biting and on the zootechnical performances in weaning piglets: Conference poster.Google Scholar
Holinger, M, Früh, B, Stoll, P, Graage, R, Wirth, S, Bruckmaier, R, Prunier, A, Kreuzer, M and Hillmann, E (2018) Chronic intermittent stress exposure and access to grass silage interact differently in their effect on behaviour, gastric health and stress physiology of entire or castrated male growing-finishing pigs. Physiology & Behaviour 195, 58–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hothorn, T, Bretz, F and Westfall, P (2008) Simultaneous inference in general parametric models. Biometrical Journal 50, 346–363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hötzel, MJ, de Souza, GPP, Costa, OAD and Machado Filho, LCP (2011) Disentangling the effects of weaning stressors on piglets’ behaviour and feed intake: changing the housing and social environment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 135, 44–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hurvich, CM and Tsai, C-L (1989) Regression and time series model selection in small samples. Biometrika 76, 297–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jericho, KWF and Church, TL (1972) Cannimalism in pigs. Canadian Veterinary Journal 13, 156–159.Google ScholarPubMed
Lahrmann, HP, Hansen, CF, D'Eath, RB, Busch, ME, Nielsen, JP and Forkman, B (2018) Early intervention with enrichment can prevent tail biting outbreaks in weaner pigs. Livestock Science 214, 272–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lallès, J-P, Bosi, P, Smidt, H and Stokes, CR (2007) Weaning – A challenge to gut physiologists. Livestock Science 108, 82–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGlone, JJ, Sells, J, Harris, S and Hurst, RJ (1990) Cannibalism in growing pigs: effects of tail docking and housing system on behaviour, performance and immune function. Texas Tech Univ. Agric. Sci. Tech. Rep. No. T-5-283. pp. 69–71.Google Scholar
Moinard, C, Mendl, MT, Nicol, CJ and Green, LE (2003) A case control study of on-farm risk factors for tail biting in pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 81, 333–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Munsterhjelm, C, Simola, O, Keeling, L, Valros, A and Heinonen, M (2013) Health parameters in tail biters and bitten pigs in a case-control study. Animal: An International Journal of Animal Bioscience 7, 814–821.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Naya, A, Traulsen, I, Gertz, M, Hasler, M, Burfeind, O, große Beilage, E and Krieter, J (2018) Is tail biting in growing pigs reduced by a prolonged suckling period? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 211, 41–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newberry, RC and Wood-Gush, DGM (1988) Development of some behaviour patterns in piglets under semi-natural conditions. Animal Production 46, 103–109.Google Scholar
Noblet, J and Le Goff, G (2001) Effect of dietary fibre on the energy value of feeds for pigs. Animal Feed Science and Technology 90, 35–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parratt, CA, Chapman, KJ, Turner, C, Jones, PH, Mendl, MT and Miller, BG (2006) The fighting behaviour of piglets mixed before and after weaning in the presence or absence of a sow. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 101, 54–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pipper, CB, Ritz, C and Bisgaard, H (2012) A versatile method for confirmatory evaluation of the effects of a covariate in multiple models. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C-Applied Statistics 61, 315–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Presto Åkerfeldt, M, Nihlstrand, J, Neil, M, Lundeheim, N, Andersson, HK and Wallenbeck, A (2018) Chicory and red clover silage in diets to finishing pigs—influence on performance, time budgets and social interactions. Organic Agriculture 65, 483.Google Scholar
Proudfoot, K and Habing, G (2015) Social stress as a cause of diseases in farm animals: current knowledge and future directions. Veterinary Journal (London, England : 1997) 206, 15–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
R Core Team (2017) R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing.Google Scholar
Scheffler, K, Stamer, E, Traulsen, I and Krieter, J (2014) Genetic analysis of the individual pig behaviour in backtests and human approach tests. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 160, 38–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schrøder-Petersen, DL and Simonsen, HB (2001) Tail biting in pigs – review. Veterinary Journal 162, 196–210.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwarz, G (1978) Estimating the dimension of a model. Annals of Statistics 6, 461–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sonoda, LT, Fels, M, Oczak, M, Vranken, E, Ismayilova, G, Guarino, M, Viazzi, S, Bahr, C, Berckmans, D and Hartung, J (2013) Tail Biting in pigs – Causes and management intervention strategies to reduce the behavioural disorder. A review. Berliner und Münchener Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 126, Heft 3/4 (2013), Seiten 104–112.Google ScholarPubMed
Taylor, NR, Main, DCJ, Mendl, M and Edwards, SA (2010) Tail-biting: a new perspective. Veterinary Journal (London, England : 1997) 186, 137–147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
TierSchNutztV (2017) Verordnung zum Schutz landwirtschaftlicher Nutztiere und anderer zur Erzeugung tierischer Produkte gehaltener Tiere bei ihrer Haltung (Tierschutz-Nutztierhaltungsverordnung – TierSchNutztV).Google Scholar
Trickett, SL, Guy, JH and Edwards, SA (2009) The role of novelty in environmental enrichment for the weaned pig. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 116, 45–51.10.1016/j.applanim.2008.07.007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ursinus, WW, van Reenen, CG, Kemp, B and Bolhuis, JE (2014) Tail biting behaviour and tail damage in pigs and the relationship with general behaviour: predicting the inevitable? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 156, 22–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valros, A, Munsterhjelm, C, Hänninen, L, Kauppinen, T and Heinonen, M (2016) Managing undocked pigs – on-farm prevention of tail biting and attitudes towards tail biting and docking. Porcine Health Management 2, 2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Leeuwen, P and Jansman, AJM (2007) Effects of dietary water holding capacity and level of fermentable organic matter on digesta passage in various parts of the digestive tract in growing pigs. Livestock Science 109, 77–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Nieuwamerongen, SE, Soede, NM, van der Peet-Schwering, CMC, Kemp, B and Bolhuis, JE (2015) Development of piglets raised in a new multi-litter housing system vs. Conventional single-litter housing until 9 weeks of age. Journal of Animal Science 93, 5442–5454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veit, C, Traulsen, I, Hasler, M, Tölle, K-H, Burfeind, O, große Beilage, E and Krieter, J (2016) Influence of raw material on the occurrence of tail-biting in undocked pigs. Livestock Science 191, 125–131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veit, C, Büttner, K, Traulsen, I, Gertz, M, Hasler, M, Burfeind, O, große Beilage, E and Krieter, J (2017) The effect of mixing piglets after weaning on the occurrence of tail-biting during rearing. Livestock Science 201, 70–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vermeer, HM, de Greef, KH and Houwers, HWJ (2014) Space allowance and pen size affect welfare indicators and performance of growing pigs under Comfort Class conditions. Livestock Science 159, 79–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, PK and Bilkei, G (2006) Tail-biting in outdoor pig production. Veterinary journal (London, England: 1997) 171, 367–369.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weary, DM, Jasper, J and Hötzel, MJ (2008) Understanding weaning distress. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 110, 24–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wenk, C (2001) The role of dietary fibre in the digestive physiology of the pig. Animal Feed Science and Technology 90, 21–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zonderland, JJ, Wolthuis-Fillerup, M, van Reenen, CG, Bracke, MBM, Kemp, B, den Hartog, LA and Spoolder, HAM (2008) Prevention and treatment of tail biting in weaned piglets. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 110, 269–281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar