Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
Piglets with intact teeth suffer considerable damage to the skin of the face during establishment of the suckling hierarchy (Delbor et al., 2000). However, the direct and indirect damage caused by clipping can exceed the effects of these injuries (Noonan et al., 1994; Hutter et al., 1994). The objective of this study was to compare the behaviour of piglets with intact or clipped needle teeth and to discuss the welfare implications of any differences observed.