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The influence of restricted physical contact with pigs during rearing on the sexual behaviour of the male domestic pig

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. H. Hemsworth  and
R. G. Beilharz
P. H. Hemsworth
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, Animal Research Institute, Werribee, Victoria 3030, Australia
R. G. Beilharz
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
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Abstract

Three groups of five male pigs (boars) were reared from an early age under various social conditions. The sexual and social behaviour of the boars was studied from 31 to 56 weeks of age. Boars individually reared from 3 to 12 weeks of age in adjacent wire-mesh pens had similar copulatory performance to that of group-reared boars. However, an apparently important component of courting behaviour, ‘nosing activity’, was significantly reduced (P<0·05) amongst those boars individually reared from 3 weeks of age in adjacent wire-mesh pens. Social behaviour appeared to be unaffected by the rearing treatment.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , December 1979 , pp. 311 - 314
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1979

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References

REFERENCES

Hemsworth, P. H., Beilharz, R. G. and Galloway, D. B. 1977. Influence of social conditions during rearing on the sexual behaviour of the domestic boar. Anim. Prod. 24: 245–251.Google Scholar
Hemsworth, P. H., Beilharz, R. G. and Brown, W. J. 1978a. The importance of the courting behaviour of the boar on the success of natural and artificial matings. Appl. Anim. Ethol. 4: 341–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hemsworth, P. H., Findlay, J. K. and Beilharz, R. G. 1978b. The importance of physical contact with other pigs during rearing on the sexual behaviour of the male domestic pig. Anim. Prod. 27: 201–207.Google Scholar
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