DeDecker A E, Hanson A R, Walker P M, Salak-Johnson J L
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
J Anim Sci. 2014 Apr;92(4):1666-74. doi: 10.2527/jas.2013-6776. Epub 2014 Feb 10.
Identifying and optimizing housing and management systems that improve the well-being of the gestating sow is essential to sustaining animal agriculture. Therefore, the impact of 2 floor-space allowances and a high-fiber gestation diet on dry group-housed sows were evaluated using multiple measures of well-being. Groups of 10 multiparous sows/pen (n = 221) were assigned randomly to treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement to either a corn-soybean meal diet (CTL) or corn-soybean meal diet supplemented with soybean hulls and wheat middlings (FBR), and floor-space allowance of either 1.7 or 2.3 m(2)/sow. Sow BW, backfat (BF), and body condition score (BCS) were all recorded on d 34, 65, 90, and 110 of gestation, whereas skin lesions were scored on d 34, every 2 d for the first 2-wk postmixing, and then biweekly throughout gestation. Blood sample was collected only on d 34 for cortisol (baseline), and samples were collected on d 90 of gestation for other measures including cortisol. Behavior was registered on multiple days throughout gestation. Sows fed FBR and kept at 1.7 m(2) produced heavier litter and weaning weights and greater number of piglets born alive, compared to sows fed FBR but kept at 2.3 m(2) of floor space (diet × floor space, P ≤ 0.04). Sows fed FBR and kept at 1.7 m(2) performed fewer oral-nasal-facial and sham-chew behaviors than sows fed CTL and kept at the same floor space (diet × floor space, P ≤ 0.044). Sows kept at 1.7 m(2) of floor space had a greater (P < 0.05) total lesion severity score than sows kept at 2.3 m(2)/sow, and vulva lesion scores were more (P < 0.02) severe among CTL-fed sows than FBR-fed sows. Parities 2 and 3 sows fed FBR and kept at 1.7 m(2) of floor space were heavier (P < 0.001) than sows fed the same diet but kept at 2.3 m(2). These results indicate that keeping small groups of pregnant sows at a minimum floor-space allowance of 1.7 m(2)/sow and floor feeding these sows a high-fiber diet can improve short-term sow well-being.
识别并优化能够提高妊娠母猪福利水平的饲养与管理系统对于维持畜牧业至关重要。因此，本研究使用多种福利指标评估了两种饲养密度和一种高纤维妊娠日粮对群体饲养空怀母猪的影响。将每组10头经产母猪（n = 221）随机分配至2×2析因设计的处理组，分别饲喂玉米-豆粕型日粮（CTL）或添加大豆皮和小麦麸的玉米-豆粕型日粮（FBR），饲养密度分别为1.7或2.3平方米/头。在妊娠第34、65、90和110天记录母猪体重（BW）、背膘厚（BF）和体况评分（BCS），在妊娠第34天、混群后头两周每2天、之后整个妊娠期每两周对皮肤损伤进行评分。仅在第34天采集血样用于检测皮质醇（基线），在妊娠第90天采集血样用于检测包括皮质醇在内的其他指标。在整个妊娠期的多个日期记录行为。与饲养密度为2.3平方米/头但饲喂FBR的母猪相比，饲养密度为1.7平方米/头且饲喂FBR的母猪产仔数、断奶重更高，出生仔猪存活数更多（日粮×饲养密度，P≤0.04）。与饲养密度相同但饲喂CTL的母猪相比，饲养密度为1.7平方米/头且饲喂FBR的母猪口鼻面部和咀嚼空嚼行为更少（日粮×饲养密度，P≤0.044）。饲养密度为1.7平方米/头的母猪总损伤严重程度评分高于饲养密度为2.3平方米/头的母猪（P < 0.05），饲喂CTL的母猪外阴损伤评分高于饲喂FBR的母猪（P < 0.02）。与饲养密度为2.3平方米/头但饲喂相同日粮的母猪相比，饲养密度为1.7平方米/头且饲喂FBR的第2胎和第3胎母猪体重更重（P < 0.001）。这些结果表明，将小群妊娠母猪饲养在最低饲养密度为1.7平方米/头的空间，并给这些母猪地面饲喂高纤维日粮可改善母猪短期福利。
