Volume 165, April 2015, Pages 66–71
- Accepted 18 January 2015, Available online 29 January 2015
Abstract
Hygiene
is a common problem on outdoor runs of growing organic pigs. Manure and
urine are mainly excreted outdoors and tend to spread all over the run.
Reducing the soiled surface area may be beneficial to animal welfare,
hygiene, ammonia emissions and labour, not only in organic but also in
conventional systems. The objective was to reduce the soiled surface
area in the pen and to make the outdoor run more attractive for pigs.
Introduction of a rooting area and drinker in the outdoor run was tested
in a 2 × 2 factorial design. In total, four replicates were studied in a
room with two rows of four pens containing 14 pigs each. More pigs went
outdoors in pens with rooting area access than in pens without a
rooting area (11.2 vs. 8.5%, P = 0.003). This was due
to more pigs entering the rooting area and an adjacent slatted floor.
Addition of a drinker did not attract more pigs outdoors (P = 0.53).
The rooting area improved the cleanliness of the whole pen (P < 0.001).
However, in some cases the rooting area was also used as a dunging
area. The area around the additional outdoor drinker was cleaner, but on
the whole, pens were dirtier (P = 0.011). Introduction of an outdoor drinker resulted in more indoor pen fouling, especially around the indoor drinker (P < 0.001).
An outdoor rooting area makes the outdoor run more attractive for pigs
and reduces the dunging area. This study contributes to the knowledge
base on how to reduce the dunging surface in pens for organic pigs.
Keywords
- Pigs;
- Behaviour;
- Dunging;
- Organic;
- Rooting;
- Drinking
- Corresponding author: Tel.:
+31 317 480658.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
