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The effect of high fibre diet and the provision of straw as a foraging substrate on the development of stereotypic behaviour in group housed sows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2021

X. Whittaker ,
H.A.M. Spoolder ,
S.A. Edwards ,
S. Corning  and
A.B. Lawrence
X. Whittaker
Affiliation:
SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, United Kingdom ADAS Terrington, Terrington St. Clement, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 4PW, United Kingdom
H.A.M. Spoolder
Affiliation:
ADAS Terrington, Terrington St. Clement, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 4PW, United Kingdom
S.A. Edwards
Affiliation:
SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, United Kingdom
S. Corning
Affiliation:
ADAS Terrington, Terrington St. Clement, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 4PW, United Kingdom
A.B. Lawrence
Affiliation:
SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, United Kingdom
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Extract

Food restriction appears to be a contributory factor in the development of stereotypic behaviour in sows. The sustained feeding motivation following the ingestion of a small meal of concentrated food results in high levels of foraging in the post-prandial period. In the absence of a suitable foraging substrate to facilitate the expression of complex behaviours, foraging may be channelled into a limited number of highly repetitive behavioural sequences (Lawrence and Terlouw 1993). High fibre diets may mitigate the development of such behaviours (Brouns, Edwards and English 1994) by providing increased gut fill in the post-prandial period, thereby reducing foraging motivation and consequently the need for a foraging substrate. The aim of this study was to examine the interactive effects of a high fibre diet and the provision of straw on levels of stereotypic behaviour in sows.

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Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 1997 , 1997 , pp. 45
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1997

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References

Brouns, F., Edwards, S.A. and English, P.R. 1994. Effect of dietary fibre and feeding system on activity and oral behaviour of group housed gilts. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 39: 215–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawrence, A.B. and Terlouw, E.M.C. 1993. A review of behavioural factors involved in the development and continued performance of stereotypic behaviors in pigs. Journal of Animal Science, 71: 2815–2825.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed