Multi-Step Tail Biting Outbreak Intervention Protocols for Pigs Housed on Slatted Floors

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 8; p. 582
• Main Authors: Chou, Jen-Yun, O'Driscoll, Keelin, D'Eath, Rick B, Sandercock, Dale A, Camerlink, Irene
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.08.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Animal welfare; Biting; enrichment; Epidemics; Farm management; Farms; Feeds; Floors; fully slatted floor; Hogs; Housing; Intervention; Investigations; Outbreaks; pig; Slotted floors; tail biting; tail docking; tail score; Tails; undocked tail; victim; Weaning; Ireland; tail biting; enrichment; tail score; tail docking; undocked tail; victim; fully slatted floor; pig
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani9080582

Solutions are needed to keep pigs under commercial conditions without tail biting outbreaks (TBOs). However, as TBOs are inevitable, even in well managed farms, it is crucial to know how to manage TBOs when they occur. We evaluated the effectiveness of multi-step intervention protocols to control TBOs. Across 96 pens (1248 undocked pigs) managed on fully-slatted floors, 40 TBOs were recorded (≥3 out of 12-14 pigs with fresh tail wounds). When an outbreak was identified, either the biters or the victims were removed, or enrichment (three ropes) was added. If the intervention failed, another intervention was randomly used until all three interventions had been deployed once. Fifty percent of TBOs were controlled after one intervention, 30% after 2-3 interventions, and 20% remained uncontrolled. A high proportion of biters/victims per pen reduced intervention success more so than the type of intervention. When only one intervention was used, adding ropes was the fastest method to overcome TBOs. Removed biters and victims were successfully reintroduced within 14 days back to their home pens. In conclusion, 80% of TBOs were successfully controlled within 18.4 ± 1.7 days on average using one or multiple cost-effective intervention strategies.