The effects of farrowing system design on gilt behaviour

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 ◽  
pp. 185-185
Author(s):  
J.N. Marchant ◽  
R.M. Forde ◽  
S. Corning ◽  
D.M. Broom

The farrowing crate was designed to make sow management easier, allow higher stocking densities and reduce piglet mortality. Recently, concerns about sow welfare within farrowing crates have lead to a reappraisal of open farrowing systems. However, more freedom of movement for the sow places greater influence on the quality of maternal care, if piglet welfare is to be safeguarded. The aims of this study were to compare the behaviour of gilts housed in different farrowing systems and to determine any differences in behaviour, that may affect piglet survival.After service, 38 LW x Landrace gilts (PIC, Abingdon, UK) were formed into groups of 3-5 and were assigned to either farrowing crates or a communal farrowing system. Each crate room housed six conventional crates with sow feeders, nipple drinkers and forward piglet creeps. Each pen room contained five individual strawed pens (2.7m x 1.9m) with a rectangular piglet creep at the rear, sloping walls along both sides and piglet and sow drinkers.

2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 ◽  
pp. 175-175
Author(s):  
J.N. Marchant ◽  
D. M. Broom ◽  
S. Corning

Although often described as “welfare-friendly”, the greater freedom of movement and choice of environments offered by communal farrowing systems does have potential welfare risks, primarily for the piglets. The maternal qualities of the sow will have a greater influence on the survival and growth of piglets in this communal farrowing system, than in a conventional farrowing crate and may be influenced by genotype. The objectives of this study were to compare the welfare of sows and piglets housed in farrowing crates and a communal farrowing system and to investigate whether sow genotype influences the quantity and quality of maternal behaviour and subsequent litter performance.


1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 196-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.N. Marchant ◽  
D.M. Broom ◽  
S. Corning

Community lactating systems offer a number of potential welfare benefits to the sow and her litter. However, giving the sow greater freedom of movement and choice of environments also has potential risks. With less restriction, the maternal qualities of the sow will have a greater influence on the survival and growth of her litter. The objectives of this experiment were to determine what behaviours of the sow influenced piglet mortality in an open communal farrowing system


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 962-973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte E Regan ◽  
Jill G Pilkington ◽  
Per T Smiseth
Keyword(s):  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rebecca Rodriguez Carey

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This research study explores the ways in which women who were pregnant and incarcerated discuss how their pregnancy experiences unfolded behind bars. This research is necessary both because this group has not received adequate attention from scholars and also because the number of women who are incarcerated has increased sharply in recent decades. By relying on in-depth interviews with women who were formerly pregnant and incarcerated in prisons across the U.S., this study aims to answer important research questions related to how women construct and account for 1) how they prepared for motherhood while imprisoned, 2) the quality of maternal care they received while incarcerated, and 3) how they felt about being separated from their infants after birth, in addition to how they approached reentry. The findings indicate that the women encountered stigma as a result of their unique entrance into motherhood because their birth stories are inextricably tied to the prison system. The women in this study were tasked with preparing for motherhood under less than ideal circumstances. They all fought difficult battles in their quest to access maternal care, and they all encountered barriers after the births of their infants, including upon release from prison.


Author(s):  
Brian N. Hilton ◽  
Richard J. Burkhard ◽  
Tarun Abhichandani

An approach to an ontology-based information system design theory for spatial information system development is presented. This approach addresses the dynamic nature of information system development at the beginning of the 21st century and addresses the question of how to establish relationships between the various design components of a spatial information system. It should also help to automate and guide the design process while at the same time improve the quality of the process along with its outputs. An example of this approach is presented, along with examples of the various ontologies utilized in the design of this particular spatial information system. Finally, a method to mitigate the issues regarding the organization and management of a growing library of ontologies is discussed.


Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dannielle Glencorse ◽  
Kate Plush ◽  
Susan Hazel ◽  
Darryl D’Souza ◽  
Michelle Hebart

There are conflicting reports regarding the effect of farrowing house accommodation on piglet performance. The aim of this investigation was to use a systematic review and meta-analyses to summarise the results of publications that focused on direct comparisons between full confinement conventional crates and various designs of loose-housed farrowing pens from loading until weaning. Literature searches in Scopus, BIOSIS Previews, Cab Abstracts, and Web of Science identified 6695 articles. Twenty-two publications were retained for the systematic review and individual meta-analyses after screening for inclusion criteria. The random effects meta-analyses were performed on crate versus pen for number of piglets born alive, number of stillborn piglets, pre-weaning mortality, and number of piglets weaned. Additionally, the modifiers of confinement length (no confinement from loading until weaning or partial confinement for shorter periods of time in the early stages post parturition), enrichment (no enrichment or enrichment provided), and pen size (small, medium, or large) were examined. There was a 14% increase in the relative risk of piglet mortality in farrowing pens when they were compared with crates (p = 0.0015). The number of stillborns per litter was not different between the pen and crate. However, when providing enrichment in the pens, there was an increase in stillborns within farrowing crates versus pens (p = 0.009). There was no overall effect on piglets that were born alive or number weaned. As there is no difference between piglets born alive and mortality is significantly higher in farrowing pens, a reduction in the number of piglets weaned was expected but not observed, which was possibly due to the lack of weaning details provided in the publications. This was the first systematic review and meta-analysis conducted on the performance of farrowing accommodation and identified that farrowing pens do compromise post-natal piglet survival. Future efforts should focus on improving sow comfort in the farrowing crate to maximize both piglet and sow welfare.


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