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Lameness prevalence and its risk factors in organic breeding sows kept in housing systems with run for animals
Project
Project code: 2811OE098
Contract period: 01.01.2012
- 31.12.2013
Budget: 115,544 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
The aim of this study was to assess lameness prevalence in organic sows as well as to identify factors associated with lameness. The project focused on sows kept indoors with access to an outdoor run. Sows were chosen since they are kept for a longer period of time as compared with fattening pigs and therefore influencing factors from the housing environment may have a greater impact on them. Furthermore, leg health is a prerequisite for animal welfare, productivity and longevity.
40 farms in Germany were visited once and lameness as well as leg health was assessed on an individual level. Mean prevalence of lameness in pregnant sows was 6,9 % (0 – 34,8 %, Median 5,1 %) and thus substantially lower than data from conventional pig farming.
Risk factor analyses using multivariate logistic regression revealed the following influencing factors: In farms, for which the litter number of individual sows was known (n=28 farms, 447 sows), the risk for lameness increased with increasing litter number and with the number of swellings on the legs. Analysis of the total dat set (n=40 farms, 1,111 sows), but not considering the litter number, the factors claw length (higher risk with too long claws), self-assessment of lameness by the farmers (higher risk when deviating from the true prevalence), provision of access to an outdoor run for gilts (less lameness, when outdoor run available) and cleaning of the pens for pregnant sows (higher risk when cleaning takes place regularly) remained in the final model, besides swellings on the legs.
In conclusion, the regulations concerning organic sow husbandry provide conditions, which are well suited to allow for reasonable levels of lameness. Nevertheless, there is a clear importance to strengthen the management abilities of farmers to be aware of health & welfare problems and to improve housing conditions and management measures regarding the farm specific problems considering animal based parameters.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal Husbandry
- Animal health
Framework programme
Federal Organic Farming Scheme and other forms of sustainable agriculture (BÖLN)
