THE INFLUENCE OF STRAW, CLOTH TASSEL, OR BOTH ON THE PREPARTUM BEHAVIOR OF SOWS

Three experiments were conducted to examine the material-directed behavior of prepartum sows. Eight of 12 prepartum sows in pens abruptly began to take straw from a basket and used it to construct nests on the day of farrowing. All sows engaged in similar amounts of rooting, pawing, and typical prepartum behavior. Rooting at straw was the predominant activity, regardless of whether nest construction resulted. For 13 sows in crates fitted with a cloth tassel, tassel-pulling increased significantly during the last 12 h before delivery, and its temporal pattern was similar to that of nest building by sows in pens given straw. The prepartum behavior of sows in pens furnished with straw in a basket, cloth tassel, both, or neither, was also compared. Sows offered straw directed most activity at it. Sows offered a tassel but no straw nosed and pulled it more than sows offered both, and tore, rooted, and pawed at pieces of cloth. Although the direction of activity depended on the material provided, the overall amount of activity was unaffected by treatment. Results of these experiments suggest that on the day of farrowing, behavior patterns directed at nesting material may be important to the sow, even if they do not result in nest construction. © 1990.