Earlier analysis confirmed that deviations in longitudinal information are heritable and can be utilized as a proxy for pigs’ common resilience. Nonetheless, only some research investigated the connection between these resilience traits and different traits associated to resilience and welfare.
Goal: Due to this fact, this research investigated the connection between resilience traits derived from deviations in longitudinal information and traits associated to animal resilience, well being and welfare, corresponding to tail and ear biting wounds, lameness and mortality.
Strategies: In our experiment, 1919 ending pigs with identified pedigree (133 Piétrain sires and 266 crossbred dams) have been weighed each 2 weeks and scored for bodily abnormalities, corresponding to lameness and ear and tail biting wounds (17,066 data). Resilience was assessed by way of deviations in physique weight, deviations in weighing order and deviations in noticed exercise throughout weighing. The affiliation between these resilience traits and bodily abnormality traits was investigated and genetic parameters have been estimated.
Outcomes: Deviations in physique weight had average heritability estimates (h2 = 25.2 to 36.3%), whereas deviations in weighing order (h2 = 4.2%) and deviations in exercise throughout weighing (h2 = 12.0%) had low heritability estimates. Furthermore, deviations in physique weight have been positively related and genetically correlated with tail biting wounds (rg = 0.22 to 0.30), lameness (rg = 0.15 to 0.31) and mortality (rg = 0.19 to 0.33). These outcomes point out that occasions of tail biting, lameness and mortality are related to deviations in pigs’ physique weight evolution. This relationship was not discovered for deviations in weighing order and exercise throughout weighing. Moreover, particular person physique weight deviations have been positively correlated with uniformity on the pen degree, offering proof that breeding for these resilience traits may improve each pigs’ resilience and within-family uniformity.
Conclusion: In abstract, our findings present that breeding for resilience traits primarily based on deviations in longitudinal weight information can lower pigs’ tail biting wounds, lameness and mortality whereas bettering uniformity on the pen degree. These findings are precious for pig breeders, as they provide proof that these resilience traits are a sign of animals’ common well being, welfare and resilience. Furthermore, these outcomes will stimulate the quantification of resilience by way of longitudinal physique weights in different species.
Gorssen W, Winters C, Meyermans R, et al. Breeding for resilience in ending pigs can lower tail biting, lameness and mortality. Genetics Choice Evolution. 2024; 56(48). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12711-024-00919-1
