Nest site choice by farrowing sows offered cubicles or parallel walls

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 ◽  
pp. 220-220
Author(s):  
A M Petchey
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Housing System ◽  
Physical Protection ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Straight Wall ◽  
Nest Site Choice ◽  
Building Activities

Freedom of movement and the opportunity to express normal behaviours are important requirements for any housing system which satisfies the welfare codes (MAFF, 1983). Intensive pig production systems generally house farrowing sows in crates to minimise the probability that piglets will be crushed. To satisfy the welfare codes there is, therefore, a need to develop a loose housing system which satisfies a multiplicity of conditions. It must give the sow unrestrained movement, allow nest building activities, provide physical protection and warm environmental conditions for the young piglets. In a previous choice trial sows sited their nests within cubicles rather than a corner or beside a straight wall (Hunt and Petchey, 1989). In another trial they were offered an arrangement of parallel walls spaced 0.55,0.95 or 1.35 m apart, most sows (0.44) chose to farrow between the 0.55 m spaced walls (Petchey, 1991). Sows making this choice (ie 0.55 m spacing) also exhibited more nest building behaviours and built significantly bigger nests (P<0.05). The trial reported here offers sows the preferred sites of the two previous trials.

Spatial Preferences of farrowing sows

1991 ◽  
Vol 1991 ◽  
pp. 63-63
Author(s):  
A M Petchey
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Enriched Environment ◽  
The Body ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Body Width ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Building Activity ◽  
High Standards

To satisfy stringent welfare criteria a farrowing pen must meet the sows’ needs for freedom of movement and allow her to exhibit most normal behaviours.Pens must be designed which provide adequate space for the loose housed farrowing sow but which have additional features to promote high standards of pig care. The sow should not be left to farrow indiscriminately within the pen but must be provided with an enriched environment to satisfy both her needs and those of the piglets. Within the pen the sow requires a suitable nest site and material to manipulate immediately pre-farrowing. These features can only be provided when it becomes known what the sows’ find desirable. In previous work it was shown that sows’ preferred to build their nests and farrow within a cubicle rather than in a corner or against a straight but open wall and that sows exhibit intensive nest building activity in the 14 hours before farrowing. In this trial the objective was to determine the farrowing sows’ response to an arrangement of parallel walls spaced 0.55, 0.95 and 1.35 m apart. The rationale behind the measurements was that they approximated to the body width, height and length of a generalised sow. Information about the sows’ response to such a wall arrangement would be useful if pens with walk-through nests were being designed.

scholarly journals Interspecific information on predation risk affects nest site choice in a passerine bird

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jere Tolvanen ◽  
Janne-Tuomas Seppänen ◽  
Mikko Mönkkönen ◽  
Robert L. Thomson ◽  
Hannu Ylönen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Passerine Bird ◽  
Nest Site Choice

Success and failure of sand goby culture.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Van Khanh Pham
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Seed Production ◽  
Foreign Exchange ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Sand Goby ◽  
Export Markets ◽  
Seed Supply ◽  
Wild Seed

Abstract The success in the seed production of the sand goby (Oxyeleotris marmorata) has contributed to the protection of natural resources and the availability of seed for aquaculture. About 30-50 million sand goby fingerlings are produced in hatcheries for domestic and export markets every year. Grow-out production systems of sand goby developed in the 1990s. It helped to increase the incomes of many fish farmers and contributed to the country's foreign exchange earnings. Constraints to hatchery-produced seed for grow-out have resulted in difficulties for sand goby seed producers. Hatchery-produced seed commands a higher price than wild seed and thus is not able to completely replace the natural seed supply. However, wild seed is of uneven size and capture methods are not standardized, resulting in the fish body being easily scratched, leading to disease and mortality. The fish is sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and vulnerable to diseases which are difficult to treat. The market for this species is also limited.

Physiological maturation and reproductive behaviour of female doves (Streptopelia risoria) held under long and short photoperiods

1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Liley
Keyword(s):  
Nest Site ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Nest Building ◽  
Short Photoperiod ◽  
Courtship Behaviour ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Streptopelia Risoria ◽  
Long Photoperiod

Female doves were held under long (16 h per day), or short (8 h per day) photoperiod and exposed to actively courting males for 4.5 h per day for 15 days. The occurrence of egg laying and nest building was recorded daily. Behavioural observations were recorded for 15 min on alternate days.Seven out of eight long-photoperiod females laid eggs, whereas only one of nine short-photoperiod females began egg laying. Soliciting by the female and nest building involving male and female are the best indicators of a female's readiness to begin breeding. The occurrence of these activities is correlated with the growth of follicles and oviduct. Copulation and associated behaviours are not correlated with follicle and oviduct growth, and appear to be controlled by factors different from those governing courtship behaviour associated with the nest site.

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