Implication of environmental and management conditions on welfare and health parameters of post-weaned pigs under intensive farming system

Farm management practices and housing conditions (M-HCs) may affect pig welfare and health status. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of M-HCs, including the tail docking procedure, on the animal-based measures (ABMs) including behavioural measures (BMs), lesions and health measures (LHMs) in weaned pigs. The in vivo study was performed in two farms including tail docked (DT) and tail undocked (UT) piglets, at one-week post-weaning (T1; 7 kg body weight) and at five weeks post-weaning (T2; 20 kg body weight) under spring or summer seasonal temperature. The M-HCs measured were caudectomy practice, classification of enrichment materials, temperature, light, space, and feeder front allowance. Light intensity was positively associated with resting behaviour (p < 0.01) and tended to be positively associated with positive behaviour (p = 0.07). The percentage of animals exploring enrichment material increased with the presence of acceptable enrichment materials (p < 0.01). The percentage of diarrhoea and prolapses was influenced by tail length, with UT pigs showing a higher percentage of diarrhoea compared to DT pigs (p = 0.04). Additionally, the ear lesion score index (LSI) decreased with increased engagement in exploratory enrichment material behaviours (p < 0.001) and UT pigs exhibited higher tail LSI than DT pigs (p < 0.01). The present study improved the understanding of the effects of M-HCs and BMs on the welfare parameters of post-weaning piglets. Moreover, the practice of tail docking is confirmed to be critically involved in the severity and frequency of tail lesions and the health status of post-weaning piglets.