Study of the predominant types of the activity in sows under the on-farm conditions

A change in the external conditions leads to restructuring the adaptive behavior of animals, their motor activity, which makes it possible to use ethological properties to assess the body state in different production modes. In this regard, there is an urgent need for total monitoring of the health status and activity of pigs. The article contains the results on the effect of different-type stress on the pig stock during the rearing period under on-farm conditions. The studies were carried out at the pig farm of the State Enterprise “ZhodinoAgroPlemElita” in the groups of lactating sows kept under identical conditions, based on monitoring by year seasons in the following algorithm: complying with comfort criteria, reducing the stress impact, improving the health status, increasing the productivity. The predominant activity types of sows under on-farm conditions have been studied. It has been found that the predominance of the comfort activity among other types contributes to the offspring viability. Types of the activity of sows are inextricably linked to motivations, that is, the desire of animals to satisfy the priority needs of the body. Examples of high and low food motivation have been identified. Extra space, physical and visual barriers to protect more submissive sows have been found to have a positive effect on reducing overall aggression.

1. Komlatsky V. I. Behavior of pigs under conditions of intensive management of the industry. Krasnodar, 1985. 80 p. (in Russian).

2. Danchuk O. V., Broshkov M. M., Karpovsky V. I., Bobrytska O. M., Tsvivlikhovsky M. I., Tomchuk V. A., Trokoz V. O., Kovalchuk I. I. Types of Higher Nervous Activity in Pigs: Characteristics of Behavior and Effects of Technological Stress. Neurophysiology, 2021, vol. 52, no. 5, pp. 358–366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11062-021-09892-7

3. Plyashchenko S. I. Stress its good or bad? Minsk, 1991. 173 p. (in Russian).

4. Ostrenko K. S., Lemiasheuski V. O., Ovcharova A. N., Galochkina V. P., Sofronova O. V. Effect of adaptogens on the quality of pig meat. Ukrainian Journal of Ecology, 2020, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 344–348. https://doi.org/10.15421/2020_54

5. Tatulov Yu. V., Kosacheva T. V. Reducing stress during transportation of pigs. Mjasnye tehnologii [Meat technologies], 2011, no. 7(103), pp. 26–27 (in Russian).

6. Bonneau M., Poullet N., Beramice D., Dantec L., Canario L., Gourdine J.-L. Behavior Comparison During Chronic Heat Stress in Large White and Creole Pigs Using Image-Analysis. Frontiers in Animal Science, 2021, vol. 2, pp. 1–11. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2021.784376

7. Anderson L. E., Holt J. P., van Heugten E., Poole D. H. Changes in growth performance, feeding behaviors, and posture behaviors of growing pigs subjected to low-intensity heat stress. Journal of Animal Science, 2020, vol. 98, no. 4, pp. 3–4. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaa278.006

8. Liu F., Zhao W., Le H. H., Cottrell J. J., Green M. P., Leury B. J., Dunshea F. R., Bell A. W. Review: What have we learned about the effects of heat stress on the pig industry? Animal, 2021, art. 100349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100349

9. Mayorga E. J., Ross J. W., Keating A. F., Rhoads R. P., Baumgard L. H. Biology of heat stress; the nexus between intestinal hyperpermeability and swine reproduction. Theriogenology, 2020, vol. 154, pp. 73–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.05.023

10. Cross A. J., Brown-Brandl T. M., Keel B. N., Cassady J. P., Rohrer G. A. Feeding behavior of grow-finish swine and the impacts of heat stress. Translational Animal Science, 2020, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 986–992. https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaa023

11. Klimenko A. S., Truhin D. A. Heat stress in pigs and its prevention. Svinovodstvo = Pig breeding, 2012, no. 2, pp. 31–32 (in Russian).

12. Makrushin P. V., Kaptyushin V. A. Ethology and productivity of farm animals. Saratov, 1988. 56 p. (in Russian).

13. Ostrenko K., Nekrasov R., Ovcharova A., Lemiasheuski V., Kutin I. The Effect of Lithium Salt with Ascorbic Acid on the Antioxidant Status and Productivity of Gestating Sows. Animals, 2022, vol. 12, no. 7, p. 915. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070915

14. Komlatsky V. I. Ethological comfort – a factor in ensuring high productivity of pigs. Nauchnye osnovy povyshenija produktivnosti sel’sko-hozjajstvennyh zhivotnyh: sbornik nauchnyh trudov 4-oj Mezhdunarodnoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii [Scientific bases for increasing the productivity of farm animals: a collection of scientific papers of the 4th International scientific and practical conference]. Krasnodar, 2011, part 1, pp. 52–54 (in Russian).

15. Shatskaya A. N., Khodosovsky D. N., Khchenkov A. A., Rudakovskaya I. I., Bezmen V. A., Petrushko A. S., Matyushonok T. A., Shamonina A. I. Factors of reducing stress load during the critical periods of rearing young pigs. Zootehnicheskaja nauka Belarusi [Zootechnical Science of Belarus]. Zhodino, 2017, vol. 52, part 2, pp. 234–243 (in Russian).

16. Denisova L. K. Stress in pigs and measures for their prevention. Svinovodstvo = Pig breeding, 2018, no. 7, pp. 57–58 (in Russian).

17. Heimig D. Race for comfort. Novoe sel’skoe hozjajstvo [New agriculture], 2016, no. 2, pp. 44–45 (in Russian).

18. Velikzhanin V. I. et al. Studying the behavior of farm animals under production conditions: guidelines for studying the behavior of farm animals. Leningrad, 1975. 55 p. (in Russian).

19. Rokitsky P. F. Biological statistics, ed. 3rd, rev. Minsk, 1973. 320 p. (in Russian).

20. Solyanik A. N., Khodosovsky D. N., Khochenkov A. A., Bezmen V. A., Petrushko A. S., Rudakovskaya I. I., Matyushonok T. A. Deviant behavior of the breeding stock of pigs at industrial complexes. Aktual’nye problemy intensivnogo razvitija zhivotnovodstva [Actual problems of intensive development of animal husbandry]. Gorki, 2020, vol. 23, part 2, pp. 125– 133 (in Russian).