Development and evaluation of prevention and outbreak husbandry advisory tools
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Research partners: Universities of Bristol and Newcastle
Industrial partners: RSPCA, Pig producers
Sponsors: BPEX, RSPCA
Project duration: 2006 - 2009
Final report - download
Pilot Husbandry Advisory Tool (HAT)
Project summary:
This project was designed to identify risks associated with tail biting and to apply this knowledge with the aim of preventing and reducing tail biting. Risks were identified both from literature and a workshop of invited experts, and were formatted into a questionnaire which was used as the basis of a Husbandry Advisory Tool (HAT). The HAT covered issues of atmosphere and environment, health, transport and mixing, feed and water, stocking density and indicators of the pigs’ behaviour. The HAT was used to identify presence of the specific risks on commercial units at pen level, and to provide targeted advice to units on how to reduce these risks.
Sixty five units from seven producer groups were recruited for the project, each receiving between two and four visits between 2007 and 2009. Fifty seven units had two or more visits (some units ceased production during the study) and prevalence decreased significantly from 3.96% to 2.38% over the course of the project. The full picture shows that tail biting is not spread evenly across farms, with no tail bitten pigs found on 35 out of 172 visits to finisher units, but 15 visits finding that 10% or more pigs were tail bitten.
The definition of tail biting used here is stricter than the clinical definition, extending to small scabs and lesions rather than only wounds where part of the tail had been bitten off. There were approximately three pigs with mild lesions for every clinical tail biting case in this study, varying with housing type and age of pig, which highlights this as an early warning sign. Looking at the pigs’ behaviour, the best warning signs identified were pigs tucking their tails down tightly against their rump, even before clear signs of injury, restlessness or agitation in a pen were seen.
Factors strongly associated with higher likelihood of tail biting within a pen were:
- Draughts in the lying area
- Variation in tail length ie a mixture of long and docked tails, or range of docked tail lengths within the group
- Season (late winter/early spring) and air frost
- Enrichment objects being fouled, at floor level or with poor accessibility (guidance notes on enrichment and manipulable materials, based on good practice seen during the study, is available from BPEX)
- Pigs being moved from straw to non-straw systems
- Fouled drinkers (only 4% of pens, but highly significant association); this may indicate general management standard rather than a direct cause
Factors strongly associated with lower likelihood of tail biting within a pen:
- Presence of straw, and being housed on straw throughout
- Being vaccinated against PCV2
Results from the HAT are being used to refine the original risk scores in order to help prioritise preventive measures on different units. Similar findings are being analysed for weaner systems. A final ‘calculator’ of tail biting risks will be made available online via Bristol University during 2010, and the BPEX KT team will also be familiarised with the findings. Conclusions from this study were presented at the DEFRA/ADAS series of health and welfare workshops on tail biting in February-March 2010.
Page last updated on
10-Mar-2011