Ethological methods for the selection of young pigs for herd replacement

Abstract

Ethologists have identified many aspects of animal behaviour, and their research experience can be used in agricultural production for the selection of animals with necessary behavioural qualities. The purpose of the study was to find labour saving and effective methods for the selection of young pigs for herd replacement, including identification of their behavioural characteristics in the context of industrial pork production. The method for the selection of young animals based on the viability index of newborn piglets was compared with other method, which takes into account the independent attachment of piglets to the front three pairs of sow teats. It was found that the probability of independent attachment of a piglet to anterior teats has a positive and high correlation with its viability index, with a correlation coefficient of 0.95. Piglets that occupied the front three pairs of teats during the suckling period significantly (P ≤0.001) exceeded the rest in weight at the 21 st and at the 60 th days by 22.7% and 5.4%, respectively. When assessing the behavioural reactions of piglets weaned from sows in an artificially created stress conditions, groups of piglets resistant and not resistant to psychological (emotional) stress were selected for subsequent observation. Moreover, it was found that among the sows obtained from stress-resistant piglets, the superiority in fertility during the first insemination and the total proportion of farrowing was 11.1 p.p., in terms of multiple fertility – 2.6 piglets (P≤0.05) or 33.3%, and in terms of the share of those transferred to the main herd – 27.8 p.p. in comparison with the group of unstable ones. Based on the obtained results, the use of an ethological method for selecting piglets for herd replacement was substantiated, taking into account the independent attachment to anterior teats and an express method for selecting piglets based on their resistance to psychological stress.