Widowski T M, Yuan Y, Gardner J M
Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
Lab Anim. 2005 Apr;39(2):240-50. doi: 10.1258/0023677053739701.
Neonatal piglets are often used in biomedical research applications that require artificial rearing. Social housing can be problematic because the piglets develop belly nosing, navel and ear sucking that can result in injury. Our objective was to determine the effectiveness of using feeding devices that provide various opportunities for sucking and nosing behaviour on reducing piglet-directed behaviour of group-housed laboratory piglets. Fifteen piglets were used in each of four trials. The piglets nursed their dam for approximately 72 h to obtain passive immunity before transfer to a laboratory facility where they were allotted, five per group, to one of three stainless steel isolator units. Each unit featured a different style of feeding system for the delivery of milk replacer: a plastic trough (T), a nipple (N) mounted on a smooth plexiglass wall, or a nipple mounted on a pliant bag of sterile water (artificial udder [AU]). Each system had five feeding spaces so that all piglets fed simultaneously. Milk was provided at 6-h intervals, and behaviour was recorded on alternate days for 12 days post-weaning. Although trough-fed piglets began to eat much sooner than those piglets fed from nipples, time spent nosing, chewing or sucking on pen-mates and belly nosing were markedly higher in T piglets than in either N or AU, overall (mean: P<0.05) and over time (quadratic: P<0.05). Over time, N piglets developed a stereotypic snout rubbing on the wall behind the nipples, while AU piglets massaged and often fell asleep in contact with the udder from day 2 of the trial. Resting patterns were also affected. N and AU piglets settled down to rest more quickly (P<0.01) and spent significantly more time resting in the hour following feeding than T piglets (P<0.05). A feeding device that accommodates both sucking and massage can significantly reduce piglet-directed behaviour and may facilitate social housing of artificially reared piglets.
新生仔猪常用于需要人工饲养的生物医学研究应用中。群居饲养可能会出现问题，因为仔猪会出现腹部拱挤、舔肚脐和耳朵的行为，这可能导致受伤。我们的目的是确定使用能提供各种吸吮和拱挤行为机会的饲养装置，对减少群居饲养的实验仔猪针对同伴的行为的有效性。四个试验中每个试验都使用了15头仔猪。仔猪在其母体内哺乳约72小时以获得被动免疫，然后转移到实验室设施，在那里将它们每组5头分配到三个不锈钢隔离单元中的一个。每个单元都有不同样式的用于提供代乳品的饲养系统：一个塑料食槽（T）、安装在光滑有机玻璃壁上的奶嘴（N），或安装在一袋无菌水的柔软袋子上的奶嘴（人工乳房[AU]）。每个系统有五个饲养空间，以便所有仔猪同时进食。每隔6小时提供一次牛奶，并在断奶后12天内每隔一天记录一次行为。尽管用食槽喂养的仔猪比用奶嘴喂养的仔猪更早开始进食，但总体上（平均值：P<0.05）以及随着时间推移（二次曲线：P<0.05），T组仔猪对同伴进行拱挤、啃咬或吸吮以及腹部拱挤的时间明显高于N组或AU组。随着时间的推移，N组仔猪在奶嘴后面的墙上出现了刻板的鼻擦行为，而从试验第2天起，AU组仔猪就会按摩并经常在与乳房接触时入睡。休息模式也受到了影响。N组和AU组仔猪更快地安定下来休息（P<0.01），并且在进食后的一小时内比T组仔猪花费显著更多的时间休息（P<0.05）。一种既能满足吸吮又能进行按摩的饲养装置可以显著减少仔猪针对同伴的行为，并可能有利于人工饲养仔猪的群居饲养。
