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Characterisation of behavioural types in pigs: The relationship between behaviour in an open field situation and social rank

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2017

H.A.M. Spoolder ,
J.A. Burbidge ,
A.B. Lawrence ,
P.H. Simmins  and
S.A. Edwards
H.A.M. Spoolder
Affiliation:
ADAS Terrington, Terrington St. Clement, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE34 4PW SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG
J.A. Burbidge
Affiliation:
ADAS Terrington, Terrington St. Clement, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE34 4PW SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG
A.B. Lawrence
Affiliation:
SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG
P.H. Simmins
Affiliation:
ADAS Terrington, Terrington St. Clement, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE34 4PW
S.A. Edwards
Affiliation:
SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG
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Extract

Abnormal behaviour can be caused by the animal's inability appropriately to express its “needs” (Hughes and Duncan, 1988) in modern husbandry circumstances. In pigs, close confinement and food restriction results in the development of abnormal stereotypies in some animals, but not in all. Individual temperament may influence the development of such behaviour and cause animals to cope differently with environmental stress (Terlouw et al., 1990). By determining an animal's temperament using individual behavioural characteristics, it may be possible to predict the response of a temperament “type” to certain conditions.

This study is part of a larger project concerned with the effects of housing and food level on the development of behaviours in group-housed sows. All the gilts entered a series of tests to measure individual characteristics prior to the main experiment. Two of the tests, one assessing an individual's response to a novel object and the other measuring social behaviour, are compared here.

Type
Pig Housing and Welfare
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) , Volume 1994 , March 1994 , pp. 182
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1994

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References

Hessing, M., Coenen, G., Hagelso, M., Schouten, W.G.P. and Wiepkema, P.R., 1992. Individual behavioural characteristics in swine. J. Anim. Sci., 70 (): 167.Google Scholar
Hughes, B.O. and Duncan, I.J.H., 1988. The notion of ethological ‘need’ models of motivation and welfare. Anim. Behav., 36: 1696–1707.Google Scholar
Terlouw, E.M.C., Lawrence, A.B. and Illius, A.W. 1990. The roles of feeding regime, housing and individuals’ ‘temperament’ in the development of stereotypic behaviour in pregnant sows. Anim. Prod. 50: 567–568.Google Scholar