Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Number of standings
Duration of standings
20
10
16
8
12
6
8
4
4
2
0
0
-120 to -96
-95 to -72
-71 to -48
-47 to -24
-23 to 0
1 to 24
25 to 48
49 to 72
Interval of time in hours (farrowing = 0)
Figure 10.10. Average duration and number of times sows stand per hour in different time intervals before and
after farrowing (black arrow) (Oliviero
et al
., 2008b).
Movement sensors can be of help in predicting the onset of farrowing. Such sensors are
cheap and easy to install in piggeries and would provide farmers with useful information
that may help them to organise and prevent problems at farrowing. Some studies have
demonstrated how human supervision at farrowing can drastically reduce the perinatal
mortality of piglets (Andersen
et al.
, 2009; Holyoake
et al.,
1995; White
et al.,
1996).
Improving the chances of predicting when the sow will give birth would improve the
survival of piglets experiencing a dystocic event or suffering from hypothermia or
starvation during the first hours after birth. Most sows nowadays farrow without proper
assistance in environments that often fail to provide them with the tools they require to
express their physiologically-driven behavioural needs. More investments are needed
to improve the quality of accommodation for sows at farrowing and to reduce perinatal
mortality due to lack of supervision.
10.9.3
Implications for the pig industry
Automation is assuming a more and more important role in animal husbandry today.
Although, the excessive use of machines and computers to manage the relationship between
livestock and humans should be avoided, modern technology can be useful in improving
the monitoring of physiological, behavioural and clinical signs in production animals.
This is especially the case considering the recent preference of animal production for very
large herds with ever increasing numbers of animals per unit. An automated system that
could monitor peripartal sows in the herd and, with the help of specialized software, sound
alarms when necessary, could prove useful. Oliviero
et al.
(2008b) demonstrated how it
is possible to monitor behavioural changes that signal impending farrowing. It would be
similarly possible to monitor important physiological and clinical signs occurring in the
peripartal period. The temperature of newborn piglets is a critical factor for their survival
in the first postnatal hours (Le Dividich and Noblet, 1983; Tuchscherer
et al.,
2000).
