Rearing finishing pigs with intact tails: do they benefit from an enriched environment?

In an attempt to prevent tail biting in pigs, tail docking is often done. This management procedure is painful for the pigs, so the question arises whetherpigs can be raised with intact tails and whether thesepigs would benefit from an enriched environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavior and performance of fattening pigs with intact tails in an enriched environment and fattening pigs in a more barren environment. A total of 94 pigs with different genetic backgrounds (type C pigs: predisposed to better carcass traits vs.

Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - December 13, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Anneleen Bulens, Sanne Van Beirendonck, Jos Van Thielen, Nadine Buys, Bert Driessen Source Type: research