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Validation and development of a behavioural test to predict the predisposition of growing pigs to perform harmful social behaviour such as tail biting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

K.B. Breuer ,
V.E. Beattie ,
L.M. Dunne ,
E.C. Slade ,
Z. Davies ,
J.T. Mercer ,
K.A. Rance ,
I.A Sneddon ,
M.E.M. Sutcliffe  and
S.A. Edwards
K.B. Breuer
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough Co Down, BT26 6DP Department of Agriculture, King George VI Building, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
V.E. Beattie
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough Co Down, BT26 6DP
L.M. Dunne
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough Co Down, BT26 6DP
E.C. Slade
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough Co Down, BT26 6DP
Z. Davies
Affiliation:
ABN House PO Box 250, Oundle Road, Peterborough, PE2 9QF
J.T. Mercer
Affiliation:
Independent Breeding Consultants, Harryburn Stables, Lauder, Berwickshire, TD2 6PD
K.A. Rance
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Aberdeen, MacRobert Building, Aberdeen, AB24 5UA
I.A Sneddon
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Queens University, Belfast, BT7 1NN
M.E.M. Sutcliffe
Affiliation:
Rattlerow Farms Ltd, Hillhouse Farm, Stradbroke, Eye, Suffolk, IP21 5NB
S.A. Edwards
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, King George VI Building, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
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Extract

Harmful social behaviour is behaviour that is directed at pen mates which, if persistent, causes injury. It includes tail, ear and flank biting. The aim of this work was to determine if pigs that are predisposed to harmful social behaviour can be identified early in life using a test. In this experiment a test that measured the chewing behaviour of pigs on an artificial tail was developed from Fraser (1987), as one of a wider battery of tests under investigation in the overall project. The validity of the test was evaluated by correlating the rope directed behaviour in the test with harmful social behaviour in the home pen.

Type
Threatre Presentations
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2001 , 2001 , pp. 50
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2001

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References

Fraser, D. (1987) Attraction to blood as a factor in tail-biting by pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 17, 61–68 CrossRefGoogle Scholar