The impact of farrowing room noise on sows' reactivity to piglets

The Role of Sound in Livestock Farming-Selected Aspects

To ensure the optimal living conditions of farm animals, it is essential to understand how their senses work and the way in which they perceive their environment. Most animals have a different hearing range compared to humans; thus, some aversive sounds may go unnoticed by caretakers. The auditory pathways may act through the nervous system on the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and immune systems. Therefore, noise may lead to behavioral activation (arousal), pain, and sleep disorders. Sounds on farms may be produced by machines, humans, or animals themselves. It is worth noting that vocalization may be very informative to the breeder as it is an expression of an emotional state. This information can be highly beneficial in maintaining a high level of livestock welfare. Moreover, understanding learning theory, conditioning, and the potential benefits of certain sounds can guide the deliberate use of techniques in farm management to reduce the aversiveness of certain events.

Effect of Light Regiment on Farrowing Performance and Behavior in Sows

Simple Summary

When sows approach birthing in most commercial farms, they are often exposed to continuous light to help farm workers monitor pig health and progress. Being in constant lighting may have a negative effect on sows as mammals often prefer a quiet environment with low stimulation during birthing. In our study, we placed 15 sows in a 12 h light/12 h dark environment, and 15 sows in 24 h light. Sows were watched for ease of farrowing (measured in total time farrowing, birthing interval, and behavior during farrowing). We also measured total piglets born alive and stillborn piglets. Overall, we observed that sows who received darkness gave birth earlier in gestation. Light availability had no effect on total piglets born alive, farrowing behavior, or total length of time giving birth. It was observed that there were more stillborn animals for the sows who received darkness. Overall, it is possible that light availability could have an impact on farrowing behavior and health; however, more factors should be considered in the environment.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of light exposure on farrowing performance in sows. Thirty sows were moved to the farrowing unit at d 110 of gestation and assigned a treatment: 12 h light/12 h dark cycle (Dark) or 24 h light (Light). Treatments began upon entry into the farrowing unit. Video was recorded continuously from initiation of the treatments until completion of farrowing. Data collected included duration of farrowing, birthing interval, and behavior during farrowing. Additionally, the number of total born, liveborn, and stillborn piglets was recorded. Gestation length was different between treatments, with a shorter gestation in Dark treatment sows than Light treatment sows (116.4 vs. 117.1 ± 0.2 d, respectively; p = 0.027). The total duration of parturition and number of liveborn did not differ (p = 0.393). Number of stillborn piglets between treatments did differ (p = 0.018). Dark had more stillborns compared to Light treatment sows (1.5 vs. 0.7 ± 0.2 piglets, respectively). Neither the interval between piglets nor farrowing behavior differed between treatments (p > 0.100). The results from this experiment indicate that a sudden change in photoperiod has the potential to impact the gestation length of sows and number of stillborn pigs.