WELFARE AND BEHAVIOR OF LACTATING SOWS HOUSED IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOSPITALS DURING THE WINTER

Abstract

Aiming to check the lactation performance of sows for 28 days in the winter, sows were allotted in a randomized design with three treatments and nine replications. The treatments were: T1 - conventional maternity with creep and cell dam; T2 - Conventional maternity with creep and cell dam with floor heating in the piglet and T3 - maternity alternative without cell dam and creep, with access to the paddocks sows and piglets. Sows were filmed at 7, 14, 21 and 27 days for 24 hours, and after weaning, they remained in the environment, being filmed for 12 hours. The maximum and minimum daily temperatures were within the thermal comfort zone recommended for stage of lactation. There were no significant differences (P > 0.10) among treatments in relation to the parameters evaluated at 7, 14, 21 and 27 days of lactation. It was concluded that sows housed during the winter period in maternity alternatives with access to paddocks nursing piglets more often and for shorter times at each feed than sows housed in conventional maternity.