54 The effect of weaning age on physiological, behavioral, and performance indicators of welfare in weaned piglets.

IF 2.9 2区 农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE
Bianca F Metallo, Lucas C Spetic Da Selva, Arieli Daieny Da Fonseca, Richard T Niblett, Edgar O Aviles-Rosa
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Abstract

For the past 30 years, research has been conducted to determine the effect of weaning age on piglets’ performance. Nonetheless, the literature is full of contradictory results, and thus there remains no clear consensus on the optimal weaning age. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of weaning piglets at 3 and 4 weeks of age (approximately 21 and 28 days) on a set of physiological, behavioral, and performance indicators of welfare, to gain a holistic understanding of the impact of weaning age on piglets’ overall welfare. Sixteen litters were randomly assigned to be weaned at 3 (21-25 days; n=80) or 4 (28-34 days; n=80) weeks of age. At weaning, piglets were blocked by weight and randomly housed in mixed-sex pens of 5 piglets. Blood samples were collected from one focal male and female, per pen, prior to weaning and at 24 hours and 7 days post-weaning to evaluate a treatment effect on blood leukocytes. A subset of pens was video recorded for the first 48 hours post-weaning to evaluate their behavior. Weight gain and feed intake were monitored at 7-, 14-, 21-, and 28-days post-weaning. A series of mixed models were used for statistical analysis. The models included the fixed effects of weaning age, time, and their interaction, and the random effect of pig or pen. Piglets weaned at 3 weeks expressed a higher neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (3 weeks = 1.93 ± 0.20 SE, 4 weeks = 0.98 ± 0.20 SE; P < 0.001) at 24 hours post-weaning, and less feeding behavior (3 weeks = 0.35 ± 0.08% SE, 4 weeks = 1.34 ± 0.29% SE; P < 0.05) during the first 24 hours post-weaning, compared to piglets weaned at 4 weeks. Overall, piglets weaned at 3 weeks also had lower average daily feed intake (3 weeks = 0.47 (95% CI 0.43, 0.50), 4 weeks = 0.69 (95% CI 0.64, 0.73) kg/day; P < 0.0001) and lower average daily gain (3 weeks = 0.32 (95% CI 0.28, 0.37), 4 weeks = 0.48 (95% CI 0.44, 0.52) kg/day; P < 0.0001) during the 28-day nursery phase. Our results indicate that weaning piglets at 4 weeks of age, as opposed to 3 weeks, has a positive impact not only on their performance, but also on behavioral and physiological indicators of welfare, highlighting the welfare benefits of delaying weaning.
断奶日龄对断奶仔猪生理、行为和性能指标的影响。
在过去的30年里,人们一直在研究断奶年龄对仔猪生产性能的影响。然而,文献中充满了相互矛盾的结果,因此对于最佳断奶年龄仍然没有明确的共识。本研究的目的是评估3周龄和4周龄断奶仔猪(约21天和28天)对一系列生理、行为和性能指标的影响,以全面了解断奶年龄对仔猪整体福利的影响。16窝随机分为3周龄(21-25天,n=80)和4周龄(28-34天,n=80)断奶。断奶时,将仔猪按体重封闭,随机安置在5头仔猪的混合性圈中。在断奶前、断奶后24小时和7天分别从一只雄性和一只雌性动物身上采集血液样本,以评估治疗对血液白细胞的影响。在断奶后的48小时内,对一部分笔进行录像,以评估它们的行为。分别于断奶后7、14、21和28天监测增重和采食量。采用一系列混合模型进行统计分析。模型包括断奶日龄、断奶时间及其相互作用的固定效应和猪或猪圈的随机效应。与4周断奶仔猪相比,3周断奶仔猪断奶后24小时中性粒细胞淋巴细胞比值(3周= 1.93±0.20 SE, 4周= 0.98±0.20 SE; P < 0.001)较高,断奶后24小时的采食行为较低(3周= 0.35±0.08% SE, 4周= 1.34±0.29% SE; P < 0.05)。总体而言,3周断奶仔猪的平均日采食量也较低(3周= 0.47 (95% CI 0.43, 0.50), 4周= 0.69 (95% CI 0.64, 0.73) kg/d;P, lt;0.0001)和较低的平均日增重(3周= 0.32 (95% CI 0.28, 0.37), 4周= 0.48 (95% CI 0.44, 0.52) kg/天;P, lt;0.0001)。我们的研究结果表明,与3周龄相比,4周龄断奶仔猪不仅对其生产性能有积极影响,而且对行为和生理指标的福利也有积极影响,突出了延迟断奶的福利效益。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Journal of animal science
Journal of animal science 农林科学-奶制品与动物科学
CiteScore
4.80
自引率
12.10%
发文量
1589
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: The Journal of Animal Science (JAS) is the premier journal for animal science and serves as the leading source of new knowledge and perspective in this area. JAS publishes more than 500 fully reviewed research articles, invited reviews, technical notes, and letters to the editor each year. Articles published in JAS encompass a broad range of research topics in animal production and fundamental aspects of genetics, nutrition, physiology, and preparation and utilization of animal products. Articles typically report research with beef cattle, companion animals, goats, horses, pigs, and sheep; however, studies involving other farm animals, aquatic and wildlife species, and laboratory animal species that address fundamental questions related to livestock and companion animal biology will be considered for publication.
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