Sow and piglet behaviour during lactation: A review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered piglets
Foster (F) sows are used to nurse piglets from other sows. Nurse (N) sows are used to nurse other piglets after weaning their own piglets during lactation. Sows nursing non-biological piglets can reject or attack unfamiliar piglets. Similarly, N/F sows could fail to recognize the adopted piglets, wh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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EDP Sciences
2025-01-01
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| Series: | BIO Web of Conferences |
| Online Access: | https://www.bio-conferences.org/articles/bioconf/pdf/2025/18/bioconf_icosia2024_06007.pdf |
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| author | Osotsi Joab Malanda Prasojo Yogi Sidik Astuti Putri Kusuma Gashew Mequanint Balogh Peter Ratky Jozsef Novotni-Danko Gabriella |
| author_facet | Osotsi Joab Malanda Prasojo Yogi Sidik Astuti Putri Kusuma Gashew Mequanint Balogh Peter Ratky Jozsef Novotni-Danko Gabriella |
| author_sort | Osotsi Joab Malanda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Foster (F) sows are used to nurse piglets from other sows. Nurse (N) sows are used to nurse other piglets after weaning their own piglets during lactation. Sows nursing non-biological piglets can reject or attack unfamiliar piglets. Similarly, N/F sows could fail to recognize the adopted piglets, which may result in delayed or denied suckling. Behaviours such as rejection, aggression, and failure to suckle pose both physical and nutritional challenges to the fostered piglets. Therefore, after collating the literature, this review was able to establish the following: nurse or foster sows showed antagonistic behaviour towards adopted piglets through aggression and discrimination. Similarly, N/F sows terminated nursing bouts more frequently than non-N/non-F sows. Most N/F piglets upon encountering N/F sows showed wandering squealing syndrome with escape attempts. Nurse/foster piglets exhibited more post-teat massage behaviour, a sign of ‘begging for more milk.’ Resident piglets frequently attacked fostered piglets through fighting. Management of large litters in pig production entails the use of N/F sows, and the knowledge in this review could help in improving N/F sow production systems, especially on lactational behaviour. Explanations of possible interventions that are likely to reduce negative behaviours among foster sows and their piglets has been given. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6aa2a8fff2604d1ea8fe81ba5c1940f4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2117-4458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | EDP Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BIO Web of Conferences |
| spelling | doaj-art-6aa2a8fff2604d1ea8fe81ba5c1940f42025-08-20T03:42:25ZengEDP SciencesBIO Web of Conferences2117-44582025-01-011670600710.1051/bioconf/202516706007bioconf_icosia2024_06007Sow and piglet behaviour during lactation: A review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered pigletsOsotsi Joab Malanda0Prasojo Yogi Sidik1Astuti Putri Kusuma2Gashew Mequanint3Balogh Peter4Ratky Jozsef5Novotni-Danko Gabriella6University of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental ManagementFaculty of Animal Science, Universitas Gadjah MadaUniversity of Debrecen, Doctoral School of Animal ScienceUniversity of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental ManagementFaculty of Economics and Business, University of DebrecenUniversity of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental ManagementFoster (F) sows are used to nurse piglets from other sows. Nurse (N) sows are used to nurse other piglets after weaning their own piglets during lactation. Sows nursing non-biological piglets can reject or attack unfamiliar piglets. Similarly, N/F sows could fail to recognize the adopted piglets, which may result in delayed or denied suckling. Behaviours such as rejection, aggression, and failure to suckle pose both physical and nutritional challenges to the fostered piglets. Therefore, after collating the literature, this review was able to establish the following: nurse or foster sows showed antagonistic behaviour towards adopted piglets through aggression and discrimination. Similarly, N/F sows terminated nursing bouts more frequently than non-N/non-F sows. Most N/F piglets upon encountering N/F sows showed wandering squealing syndrome with escape attempts. Nurse/foster piglets exhibited more post-teat massage behaviour, a sign of ‘begging for more milk.’ Resident piglets frequently attacked fostered piglets through fighting. Management of large litters in pig production entails the use of N/F sows, and the knowledge in this review could help in improving N/F sow production systems, especially on lactational behaviour. Explanations of possible interventions that are likely to reduce negative behaviours among foster sows and their piglets has been given.https://www.bio-conferences.org/articles/bioconf/pdf/2025/18/bioconf_icosia2024_06007.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Osotsi Joab Malanda Prasojo Yogi Sidik Astuti Putri Kusuma Gashew Mequanint Balogh Peter Ratky Jozsef Novotni-Danko Gabriella Sow and piglet behaviour during lactation: A review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered piglets BIO Web of Conferences |
| title | Sow and piglet behaviour during lactation: A review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered piglets |
| title_full | Sow and piglet behaviour during lactation: A review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered piglets |
| title_fullStr | Sow and piglet behaviour during lactation: A review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered piglets |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sow and piglet behaviour during lactation: A review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered piglets |
| title_short | Sow and piglet behaviour during lactation: A review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered piglets |
| title_sort | sow and piglet behaviour during lactation a review focusing on selected behaviour manifested by foster sows and their fostered piglets |
| url | https://www.bio-conferences.org/articles/bioconf/pdf/2025/18/bioconf_icosia2024_06007.pdf |
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