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Assessment of positive emotions in pigs
Project
Project code: 2817902415
Contract period: 01.07.2016
- 30.06.2019
Budget: 215,967 Euro
Purpose of research: Experimental development
The project "FeelGood" aimed at identifying suitable indicators for an objective assessment of fattening pigs’ affective state. Accordingly, behavioural and physiological parameters of 300 fattening pigs from one barren and two enriched husbandry systems were analysed. For this purpose, two behavioural tests were carried out and the playing behaviour as well as the tail and ear postures were evaluated. The salivary immunoglobulin A, cortisol and total protein content and the number of different proteins in the saliva of the animals served as physiological parameters. In addition, the diameter and the number of astroglia cells in the hippocampus and the adrenal weight were examined. The entire examination of all indicators using the structural equation modelling identified the behavioural tests, the playing behaviour and the curled tails as potential indicators to assess the positive affective state of fattening pigs.
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal Husbandry
- Animal health
- Farm animal behaviour
