Parois Severine P, Van Der Zande Lisette E, Knol Egbert F, Kemp Bas, Rodenburg T Bas, Bolhuis J Elizabeth
Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Epidemiology Health and Welfare Research Unit, Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), Ploufragan, France.
Front Vet Sci. 2022 Apr 11;9:868149. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.868149. eCollection 2022.
Improving welfare is still a critical issue in pig husbandry. Upgrades of the housing environment seem to be a promising solution to optimise resilience as a whole, and therefore improve animal welfare. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an alternative housing system to enhance cognitive resilience and also to promote the pigs' welfare. A total of 96 piglets from two contrasted housing systems [alternative housing system (AHS) vs. conventional system (CONV)] was used. The major upgrades of the alternative system were multi-litter housing during lactation, delayed weaning, extra space allowance, and environmental enrichment from birth onwards. To estimate welfare, weight, and feed intake (as a general indicator of performances), the tear staining area (as a chronic stress indicator), behavioural postures, heart rate traits, and saliva cortisol concentration were measured over a 21 h-isolation. To assess cognitive resilience, the pigs were subjected to a maze with a social reward both before and after the isolation challenge and indicators of cognitive abilities were followed. The AHS pigs showed lower cortisol levels and tear staining area before the challenge, demonstrating overall better welfare due to the alternative housing conditions. During the challenge, AHS pigs had a lower heart rate, higher heart rate variability, and higher vagal activity than the CONV pigs, which might indicate a reduced sensitivity to the stressor. AHS pigs appeared to have a better long-term memory tested in a maze. Providing social and environmental enrichments, that fit the satisfaction of the essential needs of the pigs better, appears to be beneficial for pig welfare as a whole. Its effects on cognitive resilience still need to be proven.
改善福利仍是养猪业中的一个关键问题。改善饲养环境似乎是一个很有前景的解决方案，可从整体上优化猪的适应力，从而提高动物福利。本研究的目的是评估一种替代饲养系统对增强认知适应力以及促进猪福利的效果。共使用了来自两种不同饲养系统（替代饲养系统[AHS]与传统系统[CONV]）的96头仔猪。替代系统的主要改进包括哺乳期多窝饲养、延迟断奶、额外的空间以及从出生起就提供环境富集。为了评估福利、体重和采食量（作为生产性能的一般指标），在21小时隔离期间测量了泪痕面积（作为慢性应激指标）、行为姿势、心率特征和唾液皮质醇浓度。为了评估认知适应力，在隔离挑战前后让猪接受带有社交奖励的迷宫测试，并跟踪认知能力指标。AHS组的猪在挑战前皮质醇水平和泪痕面积较低，这表明由于替代饲养条件，其整体福利状况更好。在挑战期间，AHS组的猪比CONV组的猪心率更低、心率变异性更高且迷走神经活动更强，这可能表明其对应激源的敏感性降低。AHS组的猪在迷宫测试中表现出更好的长期记忆。提供更符合猪基本需求满意度的社交和环境富集措施，似乎对整体猪福利有益。其对认知适应力的影响仍需得到证实。
