1. Tail biting in The Netherlands
Hans Spoolder

2. Prevalence We do not have a tail biting problem
… as we do not have any tails

3. Ban on docking? EU inspection visit 2005 Change of government
From ‘right’ to ‘left’
‘Party for the Animals’

4. New legislation Chain is not sufficient ‘environmental enrichment’
What is ‘sufficient’ is still unclear
Trying out materials
Modeling materials

5. What enrichment provides sufficient distraction?
22/07/2018
Metal chain
Straw hopper
Metal chain: most Dutch Pig farmers provide chains as environmental enrichmen
Rubber toy: two thick rubber hoses in cross shape suspende on a metal chain
Straw hopper: converted dry feeder with a straw rack and some metal chains
Daily straw: twice a day a handfull straw was provided on the solid floor. Pen contained a straw barrier to prevent straw from falling in the manure system
Twice daily straw
Rubber toy

6. What enrichment provides sufficient distraction?
22/07/2018
Estimated chance of pens with one or more animals with tail lesions
Of all the pens in this research, almost 90% of the pens with a metal chain had one or more animals with mild tail lesions.
For rubber toy and straw hopper this was comparable numbers. Only pens with Daily twice straw provision had much less chance of mild tail lesions
The chance of one or more animals with serious tail lesions in pens with a metal chain is almost 60%. Providing a rubber toy did not reduce this chance, while pens with a straw hopper had lesser animals with serious tail lesions. In pens with 2x daily straw provision the chance of tail biting was only 4%.
Zonderland et al., submitted to Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.

7. Modeling approach Using scientific literature
Weighting factors agreed by scientists
Ranking available materials

8. Bracke et al., in press AABS
Ranking effective materials
22/07/2018 10
Bracke et al., in press AABS 9 8 7
StroKetHo
StroHandvol
StroFlow
SchorsBox
HoutspLaag
StroBox 6
SchorsLaag
SubstrLaag
StroKorf
TakkenLos
Stropallets
Foodbal
SubstrDisp 5
ZaagLaag 4
Keien
Papier
HoutHor
ZaagBox
StroHaksel 3
Dia van JZ.
Speeltje
Touw
BiteRite 2
WatNip
MinBlok
Ketting
RubMat
Bal
StroMin 1
Geen
Geen
Bal
StroMin
MinBlok
Ketting
RubMat
WatNip
BiteRite
Speeltje
Touw
HoutHor
ZaagBox
Keien
Papier
StroHaksel
ZaagLaag
SubstrDisp
TakkenLos
Stropallets
Foodbal
SubstrLaag
StroKorf
StroFlow
SchorsBox
StroBox
SchorsLaag
HoutspLaag
StroKetHo
StroHandvol
RuwvoTrog
StroRuwvo
GrasLaag
StroBaal
StroTakLos
StroSchorsTak
(J. Zonderland i.o.v welzwijn)

9. Criteria for effective materials
Next steps
Further refinement and validation of model
List of materials to be used by farmers
Material choice i.r.t. costs, pig health, labour, etc.
Political decision on ‘cut-off’

10. Curative measures How to stop an outbreak Treatments
22/07/2018
How to stop an outbreak
Treatments
Providing 2x daily straw (except pens with similar preventive treatment)
Identifying and removing the ‘biter’
First curative treatment is simalar as the preventive treatment
The animals in the pen were observed for maximal half an hour to see if one (or two) animals were obviously excessive biting tails of their pen mates. If teh biter was not identified or there were moren than two biters, automaticaly was switched to the first treatment.

11. Zonderland et al., submitted to Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.
Curative measures
22/07/2018
Average blood score during ten days following curative treatment
When a tail outbreak occured and the curative treatment was provided, the average blood score in the pens was between 2.2 and 2.5 (day 0). This means that some animals had fresh red blood, some dry black blood and some no blood at all. A reduction in blood scores following the curative treatment means that on avarage there is a reduction of animals with fresh red blood. This indicates that the treatment works and reduces further tail biting.
This latter is visible for both treatments in the first days after intervention.
Zonderland et al., submitted to Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.

12. Behavioural predictors

13. Conclusions Daily fresh straw prevents majority of biting
Effective enrichment properties can be modelled
Curative measures are temporarily succesful
Early detection is important: what are predictors?