Abstract
The pituitary-adrenal activity and behavioural reactions of 3-week weaned piglets kept in flat-decks were compared with those of 6-week weaned piglets kept in the maternity pen. Early weaning induced a transitory increase of plasma corticosteroid levels, while 6-week weaning did not influence those levels. Lower plasma corticosteroid levels were observed in piglets kept with the sow during post-natal weeks 4 and 5. To assess whether early weaning would affect subsequent reactivity, both groups of piglets were individually submitted to an open-field test, a neophobia test and a continuous avoidance schedule when they were 7-9 weeks old. Early-weaned piglets reacted less to the open field test, but pituitary-adrenal response was the same in both experimental groups. Early-weaned piglets were slower in approaching a new object (a food container) in a familiar environment (neophobia test), suggesting that they were more neophobic than 6-week weaned piglets. Avoidance conditioning performances were different in the two sexes: females had the same score whatever their previous rearing conditions, while 6-week weaned castrated males were relatively deficient in learning the task. Taken as a whole, the behavioural and pituitary-adrenal differences observed in the present study do not indicate that early weaning in flat-deck has long-term detrimental effects on the adaptive abilities of pigs.
Translated title of the contribution | Influence of weaning method on the behavior and the hypophyseal-adrenal axis activity in the piglet |
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Original language | French |
Pages (from-to) | 661-670 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Reproduction, nutrition, development |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 5 A |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1981 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Food Science
- Embryology
- Reproductive Medicine
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Developmental Biology