Feeder preference in group housed fattening pigs
1994
Siard, N. | Stuhec, I. (Biotechnical Faculty, Ljubljana (Slovenia). Zootechnical Dept.)
The aim of the research was to find out whether group housed animals develop the preference for a certain feeder. Two groups of 4 animals were included in the experiment. There were 4 automatic feeders per group. The experiment lasted from approximately 25 to 100 kg of weight. All animals from both groups used all feeders throughout the observation period. There were some days when some feeders were not used by a particular animal, but all feeders were used in all days of the experiment by at least one member op the group. Great individual differences were observed in feeder preference. Some animals used more often certain feeder of feeders. However the choice was not consistent, they also used other ones. In the first group two animals developed the preference for one particular feeder (not the same one), in one animal the preference was not clear and another animal did not develop preference for any feeder. In the second group two animals developed the preference for the same two feeders (in one animal the preference was not clear) while the other two animals did not develop the preference for any feeder. In some animals a decrease or increase in the use if preferred feeders occurred over time, while in others the opposite happened. Also in animals that did not show a preference for any feeder, a decrease or increase in the use of particular feeders was observed.
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