Over-Crowding and Group Size Affect Performance in Canadian Study

October 10, 2005 — 

A research trial conducted at the Prairie Swine Center in Saskatoon by graduate student Brandy Street explored the production impacts of over-crowding on various group sizes.

The year-long experiment compared an 18 pig group and a 108 pig group both in crowded and uncrowded conditions. The results indicate that overcrowding in either group size was detrimental when compared to the groups housed in uncrowded conditions. Small group sizes always out-performed large groups. However, the negative production impact of over-crowding was equal regardless of group size. In other words, the decreased performance of larger groups when crowded as compared to uncrowded larger groups was not statistically different than that observed when comparing crowded and uncrowded small groups.

The researchers also evaluated behavioral aspects of crowding and stress levels. The largest behavioral impact in this study had to do with the frequency and duration of feeding events. Crowded pigs ate less often and for a shorter period of time. Neither group size nor crowding affected stress levels.

Source: Farmscape.ca http://www.farmscape.ca/f2ShowScript.aspx?i=21813&q=Over+Crowding+Negatively+Affects+Small+and+Large+Groups+of+Pigs+Equally