Avaliação do comportamento de suínos criados em sistema de cama sobreposta e piso convencional nas fases de crescimento e terminação

Abstract

The environment of intensive farming systems has a direct influence on comfort, animal welfare and animal behavior expressions, which affects the productive and reproductive performance of pigs. Concerns about management and animal welfare are growing, for it is a demand of most of the pork consumers at the moment. Thus, it becomes important to understand the factors that can influence the behavior of animals in its different phases. This study aimed to evaluate the behavior of pigs, raised under two intensive systems - with the use of bedding, and the in the conventional system of concrete floor. At the stages of growth and termination, through observations of their activities. Forty-nine pigs were used, males and females, of mixed breeds. Behavioral observations were carried out in eight rounds in the morning and afternoon for four days, totaling 32 hours of observation. The animals were divided into two lots of growing animals with bedding and one lot of growing animals in concrete floor, one lot of finishing animals with bedding and two lots with concrete floor. The variables analyzed were the behaviors: active/alert standing, running/walking, eating, drinking, rooting, lying down/sleeping, stereotypies (repetitive behaviors, excessive demand for water, biting, vocalization), social interaction, aggressive interaction and others. All results were submitted to analysis of variance and means were compared using the SAS ® program (PROC GLM and Tukey test). The behavioral assessment showed that the concrete floor exerted influence to the active behavior/alert/standing and running/walking. The bedding and concrete floor influenced both on water consumption and food, especially in animals in the stage of growth. In the groups with bedding and with concrete floor, animals in both stages (growing and finishing) performed the acts of rooting and lying down/sleeping. The social interaction was observed in animals in the growing stage raised in concrete floor. The other behaviors, aggressive interaction, stereotyped behaviors and others were not influenced neither by stage nor by floor type.