ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN BEHAVIOR AND STOMACH LESIONS IN SLAUGHTER PIGS

The associations between eight behavioural indicators of ''stress'' (defined in a very general sense) and the occurrence of different stomach lesions were investigated in a cohort study, including 266 pigs from two commercial farms. Behavioural recordings were made in the fourth week after weaning, and the stomachs were examined after slaughter at a liveweight of approximately 95 kg. Using logistic regression, weak associations were found between the frequency of four combinations of redirected oral behaviour patterns and the risk of acute ulcers in the fundus region of the stomach. Based on results from other studies in pigs and humans, these associations could reflect biological associations. Associations were also demonstrated between behaviour and keratinisation of the epithelial layer of the pars oesophagea, but the associations differed between the two herds.