Reliability of Fear Assessment in Growing Pigs Exposed to a Novel Object Test in Commercial Conditions. Issue 3 (3rd July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dalmau, Antoni; Mainau, Eva; Velarde, Antonio
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied animal welfare science. Volume 20:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 280
• Page End: 288
• Publication Date: 2017-07-03
• Subjects: Commercial farms -- fear -- novel object test -- pigs -- reliability; Laboratory animals -- Periodicals; Animal welfare -- Periodicals; 636.0832
• DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2017.1310043
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1088-8705

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to assess the reliability and feasibility of a novel object test assessing fear in pigs in commercial conditions. A total of 18 commercial farms were visited, and 321 pens housing 4, 220 growing pigs were assessed. Three balloons were used as a novel stimulus. Measures were (a) the time it took for the first pig to contact 1 of the balloons, (b) percentage of nonhuman animals watching the balloons each for 10 s, and (c) percentage of animals touching the balloons during periods of 5 s. The time of the first pig to contact 1 of the balloons ranged from 0 s to 362 s. An effect of the farm was found ( p < .0001) for contact latency, ranging from 6.8 s to 73.3 s, but little difference was found in terms of intrafarm variability. Interobserver repeatability was also high in this measure, ranging from r = .74 to r = .96. As a result, it is concluded that contact latency could be a good measure to assess fear of a novel stimulus in commercial farms.