The effect of agonistic interactions on the heart rate of group-housed sows

Inter-sow aggression can be a major welfare problem in group-housing systems and can also affect productivity. This experiment investigated the effect of different types of agonistic interaction using heart rate as an indicator of physiological response. The heart rates of nine Large White × Landrac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied animal behaviour science 1995-12, Vol.46 (1), p.49-56
Main Authors: Marchant, Jeremy N., Mendl, Michael T., Rudd, Andrew R., Broom, Donald M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR
AGONISTAS
AGONISTE
AGONISTS
CERDAS
COMPORTAMIENTO AGRESIVO
COMPORTAMIENTO SOCIAL
COMPORTEMENT AGRESSIF
COMPORTEMENT SOCIAL
FREQUENCE DU POULS
Heart rate
Pigs
PULSACIONES
PULSE RATE
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
SOWS
TRUIE
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Summary:Inter-sow aggression can be a major welfare problem in group-housing systems and can also affect productivity. This experiment investigated the effect of different types of agonistic interaction using heart rate as an indicator of physiological response. The heart rates of nine Large White × Landrace sows housed in a large group with an electronic sow feeder system, were monitored during agonistic interactions. Interactions were categorised into: (1) interactions involving physical contact, (2) non-physical interactions involving threat only. Both were recorded as win or loss, giving a total of four encounter types. The data were analysed to give the peak heart rate value during the encounter and also the increase from the pre-encounter mean to the peak value. Although there were some statistical difficulties presented by small sample size, sows involved in physical encounters had a greater increase in heart rate and a higher peak value (+ 59.1 beats per min (bpm), 137.0 bpm) than sows involved in threat encounters (+ 31.6 bpm, 107.3 bpm). Sows which lost a physical encounter tended to have the highest heart rates (+ 85.7 bpm, 157.7 bpm). The results demonstrate that all sows involved in agonistic encounters show an acute and transient response indicated by a rise in heart rate; however, the rise is greatest for sows which lose a physical encounter.
ISSN:0168-1591
1872-9045
DOI:10.1016/0168-1591(95)00636-2