Comparison of two housing systems on behaviour and performance of fattening pigs

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different housing systems on behaviour and growth performance of fattening pigs. Forty Duroc × Meishan pigs aged 100 d were assigned into two housing systems: indoor deep litter (DL) housing (4 pens with 5 pigs/pen) and indoor pen with outdoor playground (PG; 4 pens with 5 pigs/pen). Pig behaviour, body weight, and feed intake were recorded and analysed. Results showed that DL pigs spent more time exploring (DL: 231.0 vs. PG: 178.0 s/h, P