Portele Katrin, Scheck Katharina, Siegmann Susanne, Feitsch Romana, Maschat Kristina, Rault Jean-Loup, Camerlink Irene
Institute of Animal Welfare Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Animals (Basel). 2019 Jul 31;9(8):513. doi: 10.3390/ani9080513.
Nose contact is a frequent form of social behaviour in pigs, but the motivational reasons underlying this behaviour remain unclear. We investigated the frequency, direction and type of sow-piglet nosing behaviour and its association with sow and piglet traits. Social nosing behaviour was recorded by live observations and video recordings in 22 sows and their 249 piglets in free-farrowing pens once weekly during the first three weeks after farrowing (3 times 30 min of observations per litter). Piglet-to-sow nosing occurred on average 32.8 ± 2.35 times per 30 min per litter. Heavier piglets at one week of age nosed the sow more than lighter piglets ( = 0.01). Piglet-to-sow nosing was unrelated to the piglet's sex or teat order. Sow-to-piglet nosing occurred on average 3.6 ± 0.53 times per 30 min, and this was unrelated to litter size. Primiparous sows nosed their piglets more in the second week after farrowing. Litters in which piglet-to-sow nosing occurred more showed less variation in the expression of this behaviour across the weeks. Social nosing between sow and piglets deserves further research to understand the positive implications of this behaviour for sow and piglet welfare.
鼻接触是猪常见的一种社会行为形式，但这种行为背后的动机原因尚不清楚。我们研究了母猪与仔猪间鼻接触行为的频率、方向和类型及其与母猪和仔猪性状的关联。通过在分娩后前三周每周一次在自由分娩栏中对22头母猪及其249头仔猪进行现场观察和视频记录，来记录社会鼻接触行为（每窝观察3次，每次30分钟）。每窝仔猪对母猪的鼻接触平均每30分钟发生32.8±2.35次。一周龄时较重的仔猪对母猪的鼻接触比轻的仔猪更多（P = 0.01）。仔猪对母猪的鼻接触与仔猪的性别或乳头顺序无关。母猪对仔猪的鼻接触平均每30分钟发生3.6±0.53次，且这与窝产仔数无关。初产母猪在分娩后第二周对其仔猪的鼻接触更多。仔猪对母猪鼻接触发生较多的窝在各周之间这种行为表达的变化较小。母猪与仔猪间的社会鼻接触行为值得进一步研究，以了解这种行为对母猪和仔猪福利的积极影响。
