Abnormal oral manipulation, such as tail-, ear-, and flank-biting are among
the most serious behaviour problems in modern pig husbandry. They not only
affect the welfare of animals, but also have economic consequences. The
prevalence of tail-, ear-, and flank-bite damage was estimated in a 1200 sow
farrow-to-finish commercial farm in Hungary were pigs grouped by age. A
total of 16,023 individuals were observed, of which 4,679 were housed in the
batteries and 11,344 were housed in the fattening barns. In the batteries,
the prevalence of tail-bitten and ear-bitten piglets in the different age
groups ranged from 2.6 to 15.18%, 10.77 to 56.87%, respectively. The
likelihood of tail injuries increased with the age of the animals, while the
likelihood of ear injuries gradually decreased with piglet?s age. No flank
injuries were observed in piglets from the batteries. In the fattening
barns, the prevalence of tail and ear injuries in the different age groups
was between 2.73 and 6.1%, and between 3.38 and 58.16%, respectively. Flank
biting appeared only in older animals, from 156 days of age, at a much lower
frequency (1.96 to 3.26%) than the other injuries studied. Some elements of
the housing and feeding technology applied in this farm could enhance the
occurrence of abnormal oral bite behaviour in pigs. Changing from wet to
granulate feed and replacing the grid flooring with solid flooring covered
with straw litter could lead to a decline in the incidence of biting.