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The effect of nose ringing of outdoor sows on foraging behaviour and pasture damage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2021

S A Edwards ,
E Anssems ,
R I Horrell ,
P A Ness  and
J Eddison
S A Edwards
Affiliation:
SAC, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9YA
E Anssems
Affiliation:
SAC, Craibstone Estate, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB2 9YA
R I Horrell
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX
P A Ness
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX
J Eddison
Affiliation:
Seale-Hayne Dept of Agriculture, University of Plymouth, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 6NQ
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Extract

Nose ringing of outdoor sows is widely practiced to reduce pasture damage, but may have both short and longer term implications for animal welfare. This study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of different forms of nose ring and the extent of behavioural modification which they caused.

Six groups of 5 sows were allocated between three treatments: unrung (U), rung with three traditional boss-rings through the upper rim of the nasal disc (TR) or rung with a single bull-ring through the nasal septum (BR). Groups were placed in adjacent paddocks on undamaged grass leys at a stocking rate of 38 sows/ha. Pasture damage was assessed weekly by measuring proportions of grass, bare earth and overturned earth in 20 half-metre square quadrats per paddock on a fixed sampling pattern.

Type
Pig Welfare
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 1996 , March 1996 , pp. 194
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 1996

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