Farm management and boars April 17th 2013, Carola van der Peet-Schwering

Farm management and behaviour of boars Raising boars: economic benefit, but risk of aggressive behaviour Objectives: What are the behavioural problems in boars? When are these problems most pronounced? Which measures reduce behavioural problems? Where: Comfort Class (enriched) in Raalte Pig Innovation Centre Sterksel 70 Pig farms

Mounting behaviour: skin lesions, leg problems

Mounting behaviour

Aggressive behaviour: skin lesions, leg problems

When is this behaviour most pronounced (1)? Mounting efforts per hog per hour of the day Number of mountain efforts per animal during 5 minute obersvations per hour Hour of the day Boars Sows

When is this behaviour most pronounced (2)? Mounting efforts per hog per week after delivery Number of mountain efforts per animal during 24 times 5 minute obersvations per day Week after delivery Boars Sows

Results The number of mountings: is higher during the day than during the night is higher in the afternoon than in the morning does not increase from week 5 until delivery to the slaughterhouse A lot of variation in mounting behaviour between farms

Which measures may reduce behavioural problems? 24/10/2017 Which measures may reduce behavioural problems? Extra feeder, dummy, keeping litters together, feeding by a long trough did not reduce mounting behaviour 9

Trial VIC Sterksel Three light strategies Control: 40 lux 8 hours per day Increasing light: 8 - 16 hrs/day Green light: 40 lux 8 hours per day 12 or 24 pigs per pen Yes or no hiding place

Number of mountings per light strategy Number of mounting efforts per boar per hour of the day Number of mountain efforts per animal during 24 times 5 minute obersvations per day

Current research: observations on 70 pig farms On 70 farms registration of mounting behaviour, skin lesions, leg problems and boar taint: huge variation Insight in success factors and risk factors Advise farmers on do’s and dont’s of boar management

Performance results experiment VIC Sterksel Higher daily gain and lower feed efficiency Boars Castrates Gilts Weight at start (kg) 23.3 23.5 23.6 Weight at delivery (kg) 115.7 115.6 116.4 Daily gain (g/d) 855 838 846 Feed intake (kg/d) 1.98 2.12 2.04 Feed conversion 2.32 2.53 2.41 Energy conversion 2.52 2.74 2.61