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Creep feeding status of piglets can be identified by an automatic marking device

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

H. F. Lee ,
C. A. Morgan ,
M. C. Appleby  and
N. K. Waran
H. F. Lee
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, U.K.
C. A. Morgan*
Affiliation:
Animal Biology Division, SAC, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PH, U.K.
M. C. Appleby
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, U.K.
N. K. Waran
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, U.K.
*
Email: [email protected].
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Extract

Creep food intake of suckling piglets varies considerably between individuals (Pajor et al., 1991). The creep feeding status of individual piglets can be monitored by video recording or by combining the weight of the food removed from the electronic dispensers with monitoring by video recording. However, the analysis of videotapes is time-consuming, which limits its widespread use on farm. From a practical standpoint, monitoring the food intake by piglets either before or after weaning is important to provide useful information for a management strategy. Therefore a general, quick and valid method to detect the food intake experience of piglets would be valuable and is needed. The aim of this investigation was to determine if a device that automatically spray-marked piglets at the trough could reliably identify those pigs that had foraged the food in the trough.

Type
Ethology
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2003 , 2003 , pp. 104
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2003

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References

Pajor, E. A., Fraser, D. and Kramer, D. L. 1991. Consumption of solid food by suckling pigs: individual variation and relation to weight gain. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 32: 139–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar