1. Farm management and boars
April 17th 2013, Carola van der Peet-Schwering

2. Farm management and behaviour of boars
Raising boars: economic benefit, but risk of aggressive behaviour
Objectives:
What are the behavioural problems in boars?
When are these problems most pronounced?
Which measures reduce behavioural problems?
Where:
Comfort Class (enriched) in Raalte
Pig Innovation Centre Sterksel
70 Pig farms

3. Mounting behaviour: skin lesions, leg problems

4. Mounting behaviour

5. Aggressive behaviour: skin lesions, leg problems

6. When is this behaviour most pronounced (1)?
Mounting efforts per hog per hour of the day
Number of mountain efforts per animal during 5 minute obersvations per hour
Hour of the day
Boars
Sows

7. When is this behaviour most pronounced (2)?
Mounting efforts per hog per week after delivery
Number of mountain efforts per animal during 24 times 5 minute obersvations per day
Week after delivery
Boars
Sows

8. Results The number of mountings:
is higher during the day than during the night
is higher in the afternoon than in the morning
does not increase from week 5 until delivery to the slaughterhouse
A lot of variation in mounting behaviour between farms

9. Which measures may reduce behavioural problems?
24/10/2017
Which measures may reduce behavioural problems?
Extra feeder, dummy, keeping litters together, feeding by a long trough did not reduce mounting behaviour 9

10. Trial VIC Sterksel Three light strategies
Control: 40 lux 8 hours per day
Increasing light: hrs/day
Green light: 40 lux 8 hours per day
12 or 24 pigs per pen
Yes or no hiding place

11. Number of mountings per light strategy
Number of mounting efforts per boar per hour of the day
Number of mountain efforts per animal during 24 times 5 minute obersvations per day

12. Current research: observations on 70 pig farms
On 70 farms registration of mounting behaviour, skin lesions, leg problems and boar taint: huge variation
Insight in success factors and risk factors
Advise farmers on do’s and dont’s of boar management

13. Performance results experiment VIC Sterksel Higher daily gain and lower feed efficiency
Boars
Castrates
Gilts
Weight at start (kg)
23.3
23.5
23.6
Weight at delivery (kg)
115.7
115.6
116.4
Daily gain (g/d)
855
838
846
Feed intake (kg/d)
1.98
2.12
2.04
Feed conversion
2.32
2.53
2.41
Energy conversion
2.52
2.74
2.61