Crated sow breeding values for mothering ability reduce piglet mortality in free farrowing pens.

Selecting sows with a high genetic merit for mothering ability to ensure the survival of liveborn piglets may be a promising strategy to reduce piglet mortality in free farrowing (FF) systems. This genetic merit, reflected in the Estimated Breeding Value for Mothering Ability (EBVma), is currently estimated based on information from sows housed in conventional crated farrowing systems. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess the predictive ability of crated sow breeding values for mothering ability on early piglet mortality, litter characteristics, and farrowing performance in an FF environment.

Impact of proximity definitions and sampling rates on social networks in pigs based on tracking using computer vision.

In farm animals, social network analysis has become a popular approach to explore preferential associations. This study investigated how different spatial proximity definitions and sampling rates affect social networks based on proximity using computer vision. Video data collected over three days in 21 pens (6 pigs/pen), either enriched or barren, were analyzed using a tracking-by-detection method based on bounding boxes.

A Complete Pipeline to Extract Temperature from Thermal Images of Pigs.

Using deep learning or artificial intelligence (AI) in research with animals is a new interdisciplinary area of research. In this study, we have explored the potential of thermal imaging and AI in pig research. Thermal cameras play a vital role in obtaining and collecting a large amount of data, and AI has the capabilities of processing and extracting valuable information from these data.

Possible relations between emotional contagion and social buffering.

Emotional contagion can be defined as the transfer of an emotional state from the demonstrator of that state towards an observer. Social buffering is a process by which the demonstrator has a reduced stress response due to the presence of one or more other individuals. While both processes are well studied separately, it is unknown whether and how both processes are related.

Effects of Birthweight of Piglets in a Multi-Suckling System on Mortality, Growth Rate, Catch-Up Growth, Feed Intake and Behaviour.

Multi-suckling systems aim to improve animal welfare, but in these systems, a large variation is seen in piglet growth rate. Birthweight (BiW) plays an important role in explaining the variation in body weight (BW) gain of piglets. This study aims to investigate the relationships between BiW and piglet traits up to day 44 postpartum (p.

Relationship between indirect genetic effects for growth, environmental enrichment, coping style and sex with the serum metabolome profile of pigs.

Including Indirect Genetic Effects (IGE) in breeding programs to reduce aggression in group housed animals has been proposed. However, the effect of selection for IGE for growth on animal metabolism and physiology is unknown. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) To investigate the effects of this new breeding method along with two housing (barren and straw), coping style (high and low resisters) and sex (female and castrated males) options on the metabolome profile of pigs.

Dietary sialylated oligosaccharides in early-life may promote cognitive flexibility during development in context of obesogenic dietary intake.

Oligosaccharides found in mammalian milk have shown the potential to alter brain development across multiple species. The diversity and concentration of these oligosaccharides is species-specific and varies greatly between individuals, thus understanding their role in cognitive development is warranted. We investigated the impact of early life dietary fucosylated/neutral or sialylated human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) on behaviours in tasks assessing anxiety, motivation, appetite, learning, and memory.

Measuring Farm Animal Emotions-Sensor-Based Approaches.

Understanding animal emotions is a key to unlocking methods for improving animal welfare. Currently there are no 'benchmarks' or any scientific assessments available for measuring and quantifying the emotional responses of farm animals. Using sensors to collect biometric data as a means of measuring animal emotions is a topic of growing interest in agricultural technology.

Soiling of Pig Pens: A Review of Eliminative Behaviour.

This is a comprehensive review on the pigs' normal eliminatory behaviour (i.e., defaecation and urination) and pen soiling.

Effects of Early and Current Environmental Enrichment on Behavior and Growth in Pigs.

Enriched environments are known to beneficially affect the behavior of pigs, as compared with barren pens. The influence of enrichment may, however, depend on pigs' early life housing experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects of early and later life environmental enrichment on behavior and growth in pigs with different coping styles.

Effects of early and later life environmental enrichment and personality on attention bias in pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus).

We investigated effects of early and later life housing on attention bias, as an indicator of affective state, in pigs differing in coping style [reactive (LR) vs. proactive (HR)]. Pigs (n = 128) in barren or enriched housing from birth (B1 vs.

Effect of enriched housing on levels of natural (auto-)antibodies in pigs co-infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

Housing of pigs in barren, stimulus-poor housing conditions may influence their immune status, including antibody responses to (auto-)antigens, and thus affect immune protection, which will influence the onset and outcome of infection. In the present study, we investigated the effects of environmental enrichment versus barren housing on the level of natural (auto-)antibodies (NA(A)b) and their isotypes (IgM and IgG) binding keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), myelin basic protein (MBP), and phosphorycholine conjugated to bovine serum albumin (PC-BSA) in pigs co-infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae).

Enriched Housing Reduces Disease Susceptibility to Co-Infection with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Virus (PRRSV) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae) in Young Pigs.

Until today, anti-microbial drugs have been the therapy of choice to combat bacterial diseases. Resistance against antibiotics is of growing concern in man and animals. Stress, caused by demanding environmental conditions, can reduce immune protection in the host, influencing the onset and outcome of infectious diseases.

Intranasal oxytocin administration in relationship to social behaviour in domestic pigs.

Intranasal administration of oxytocin has been shown to alter positive and negative social behaviour. Positive social behaviour in pigs (Sus scrofa) may be expressed through gentle social nosing, and greater insight in the specific expression hereof might contribute to the current search for positive indicators of animal welfare. We investigated whether oxytocin alters social nosing and whether this is specific to nose-body or nose-nose contact.

Erratum to: Emotions on the loose: emotional contagion and the role of oxytocin in pigs.

Erratum to: Anim Cogn (2015) 18:517–532,DOI 10.1007/s10071-014-0820-6.The original publication of this article unfortunately contained an error in Table 5.

Aggression and affiliation during social conflict in pigs.

Social conflict is mostly studied in relation to aggression. A more integral approach, including aggressive and affiliative behaviour as well as physiology, may however give a better understanding of the animals' experience during social conflict. The experience of social conflict may also be reflected in the spatial distribution between conspecifics.

The prospects of selection for social genetic effects to improve welfare and productivity in livestock.

Social interactions between individuals living in a group can have both positive and negative effects on welfare, productivity, and health of these individuals. Negative effects of social interactions in livestock are easier to observe than positive effects. For example, laying hens may develop feather pecking, which can cause mortality due to cannibalism, and pigs may develop tail biting or excessive aggression.

Emotions on the loose: emotional contagion and the role of oxytocin in pigs.

We studied emotional contagion, a simple form of empathy, and the role of oxytocin herein in pigs. Two training pigs per pen (n = 16 pens) were subjected to a positive treatment (pairwise access to a large compartment filled with peat, straw and some chocolate raisins) and a negative treatment (social isolation in a small compartment) in a test room using a within-subjects design. Thereafter, two naive pen mates joined the training pigs in the test room, but were not given access to the treatments.

Selection based on indirect genetic effects for growth, environmental enrichment and coping style affect the immune status of pigs.

Pigs living in intensive husbandry systems may experience both acute and chronic stress through standard management procedures and limitations in their physical and social environment, which may have implications for their immune status. Here, the effect of a new breeding method where pigs were selected on their heritable influence on their pen mates' growth, and environmental enrichment on the immune status of pigs was investigated. Hereto, 240 pigs with a relatively positive genetic effect on the growth of their pen mates (+SBV) and 240 pigs with a relatively negative genetic effect on the growth of their pen mates (-SBV) were housed in barren or straw-enriched pens from 4 to 23 weeks of age (n  =  80 pens in total).

Tail biting in pigs: blood serotonin and fearfulness as pieces of the puzzle?

Tail biting in pigs is a widespread problem in intensive pig farming. The tendency to develop this damaging behaviour has been suggested to relate to serotonergic functioning and personality characteristics of pigs. We investigated whether tail biting in pigs can be associated with blood serotonin and with their behavioural and physiological responses to novelty.

Social support in pigs with different coping styles.

The presence of a conspecific during a stressful situation, i.e. social support, can considerably lower the stress response of an individual compared to experiencing the stressful situation alone.

Temporal niche switching and reduced nest attendance in response to heat dissipation limits in lactating common voles (Microtus arvalis).

According to the heat dissipation limit theory, maximum metabolic turnover is limited by the capacity of the body to dissipate excess heat. Small mammals, including common voles (Microtus arvalis), face a heat dissipation limitation during lactation. Pup growth and milk production are reduced under higher ambient temperatures.

Indicators of positive and negative emotions and emotional contagion in pigs.

For the welfare of group-housed animals, such as pigs, the emotional state of an individual pig is relevant, but also the extent to which pen mates are affected by the distress or pleasure of other individuals, i.e. emotional contagion, a simple form of empathy.

Ambient temperature shapes reproductive output during pregnancy and lactation in the common vole (Microtus arvalis): a test of the heat dissipation limit theory.

The heat dissipation limit theory suggests that heat generated during metabolism limits energy intake and, thus, reproductive output. Experiments in laboratory strains of mice and rats, and also domestic livestock generally support this theory. Selection for many generations in the laboratory and in livestock has increased litter size or productivity in these animals.