ROOFED FARROWING AREAS AND SOW PREFERENCE

At farrowing, 20 multiparous and 7 nulliparous sows were housed either individually (n=8) or in groups of 4 or 5 (n=19) in pens which provided the choice of roofed or unroofed farrowing areas. Video recording and direct sampling methods were used to compare the behaviour of the sows and piglets. Preference for a roofed area was not significant (p>0.05): 17 chose to farrow in roofed pens, nine in unroofed pens and one sow farrowed in the outer communal area. Preference for roofs was significant amongst nulliparous sows: six chose to farrow in roofed pens (p<0.05). Housing the sows individually or in groups had no significant effect on choice (p>0.05). Sow behaviour, time spent in farrowing pens, suckling behaviour, sow responsiveness to play-back of a pre-recorded piglet distress vocalisation, piglet behaviour and production were unaffected by whether the sows farrowed in roofed pens or were housed individually (p>0.05). The choice of roofs may have been compromised by the reported preference for an open view, but to a lesser degree in nulliparous sows. The physical and social environments tested in this study appeared to have little affect on the maternal behaviour of the sow.