Location: Livestock Behavior Research
Project Number: 5020-32000-011-04
Start Date: Dec 01, 2012
End Date: Aug 01, 2015
Three different experiments will be conducted for this project. The first is designed to identify diet modifications which are most effective in increasing satiety when sows are grouped. The second then follows by combining together diet modifications that worked best in Experiment 1 to see if additive effect applies. Third is designed to determine if our results can be translated into reality on a real farm with larger size groupings of sows. Experiment 1 - evaluate 4 different diets, place sows on experimental diets by day 7 after they are bred. Maintain on these diets for 21 days, move from breeding stalls to group housing (28 days pregnant). Video record behavior. Experiment 2 - Conduct experiment as was done in Ex. 1. Evaluate results from Ex. 1 to create two novel diets that combine the modification that worked best. Experiment 3 - Determine of progress made on a small scale with only 5 pigs per pen translates to the real world situation when sows are actually housed in much larger groups.