ABSTRACT
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of wood shaving bedding on pregnant sows under two housing conditions. Sixty-four animals were distributed into four treatments, each treatment included 54 sows split into three replicates. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used (two types of housing, collective pens (CP) and combined housing (cages + CP [CCP]); and two types of floor, concrete floor without wood shavings (CFWS-) and concrete floor with wood shavings (CFWS+), allowing establishing the following treatment combinations: CP+CFWS+, CP+CFWS-, CCP+CFWS+, and CCP+CFWS-. Animal behavior, body injuries, reproductive efficiency, and abiotic variables were evaluated. The sows kept on wood shaving bedding presented a higher frequency of standing postures (20.9% and 31.4% for CCP+CFWS- and CCCP+CFWS+ and 20.6% and 39.2% for CP+CFWS- and CP+CFWS+, respectively). The presence of bedding decreased the occurrence of oral stereotypies and the frequency of injuries in the head, neck/shoulder, and side (12.30% and 6.02% for CCP+CFWS- and CCCP+CFWS+, and 8.07% and 5.69% for CP+CFWS- and CP+CFWS+, respectively). The treatments had no effect on stillbirth rates and on the number of piglets born alive, and the number of mummified piglets was higher in CP+CFWS+ than in was in CCP+CFWS-. However, the presence of bedding changed animal activity and decreased the incidence of injuries.
KEYWORDS
animal welfare; environmental enrichment; pigs
