Relationship between growing pig's housing conditions, behaviours, lesions and health issues under Italian farming system

Low space availability, high temperatures and a barren environment may contribute to the occurrence of abnormal behaviours and lesions in intensive pig farming. The present study evaluated the housing conditions (HCs), that influence behavioural measures (BMs), and lesion and health measures (LHMs) in growing pigs reared in an Italian farming system. Data collection was carried out on two groups of pigs in each farm (Farm A and Farm B), tail docked (DT) and tail undocked (UT). The HCs measured were dry and wet bulb temperature, light, humidity, air quality, average body weight, pen level of cleanliness, space, and feeder front allowance. Light intensity was negatively associated with positive behaviour (coefficient: -0.01; p < 0.001), while the length of the feeder front was positively associated with the proportion of pigs exploring the pen (coefficient: 65.18; p = 0.04). Tail lesion score index (LSI) increased with an increased frequency of negative behaviour (coefficient: 8.05; p < 0.01), increased light intensity (coefficient: 0.29; p < 0.001) and increased proportion of CO2 (coefficient: 498.31; p < 0.001), while it decreased with the average body weight of the pen (coefficient: -4.04; p < 0.001) and the space allowance (coefficient: -198.93; p < 0.001). Finally, UT pigs showed a greater (p < 0.001) tail LSI than DT pigs (126.8 +/- 5.71 and 78.5 +/- 9.11, respectively for UT and DT pigs). The present study improved the understanding of the effects of HCs, including tail docking, on welfare parameters of growing pigs.

Automated summary

Low space availability, high temperatures, and a barren environment in intensive pig farming may lead to abnormal behaviors and lesions. This study evaluated the impact of housing conditions on the welfare measures and health indicators of growing pigs in an Italian farming system. The findings indicate that light intensity is negatively associated with positive behavior, while the length of the feeder front is positively associated with the proportion of pigs exploring the pen. The tail lesion score index increases with increased frequency of negative behavior, light intensity, and proportion of CO2, while it decreases with the average body weight and space allowance. Moreover, tail undocked pigs show higher tail lesion score index compared to tail docked pigs.