INFLUENCE OF MANAGEMENT, HOUSING AND PERSONALITY OF THE STOCKPERSON ON PREWEANING PERFORMANCES ON INDEPENDENT AND INTEGRATED SWINE FARMS INQUEBEC

A cross-sectional study was implemented to determine which factors rel ated to management, housing and stockperson in the farrowing quarters were associated with preweaning mortality and piglets weaned per litte r in swine breeding herds. The associations were sought separately for the two most common types of swine production in Quebec. Forty-eight randomly-selected independent farms and 38 others belonging to integra ted organizations specialized in swine production conveniently chosen among the largest organizations in Quebec participated in the study. P reweaning performances were computed from the sow records. Information on housing features was gathered during the visit to the farrowing qu arters. Management practices were obtained through a questionnaire fro m the stockperson working in the farrowing quarters and his or her per sonality traits were evaluated through a personality test. Backward el imination procedure was used to build multiple linear regression model s for each measure of performance for each type of farm. The procedure s started from the management, housing and stockperson groups of varia bles taken separately and altogether, leading to the building of diffe rent regression models. Piglets weaned per litter averaged 8.9 and 8.6 on the independent and integrated farms, respectively and preweaning mortality, 14.4 and 15.4%, respectively. On the independent farms, hig h preweaning performances (high number of piglets weaned per litter an d low preweaning mortality) were associated with routinely washing the farrowing crates, vaccination of the sows against neonatal diarrhea, farrowing crates equipped with high bottom bars, partially-slotted flo ors in the farrowing pens and high self-discipline from the stockperso n. Poor performances were associated with theuse of oxytocin around fa rrowing, mixed nursery-farrowing quarters and a stockperson being exag geratedly self-assured and sensitive. On the integrated farms, the use of oxytocin at farrowing was also associated with poor performances, as well as several rooms or all-in/all-out farrowing quarters, farrowi ng crates equipped with high or medium bottom bars, totally-slotted fl oors and a stockperson being rather bold, suspecting and tense. High p erformances were positively associated with warmth, emotional stabilit y and self-discipline from the stockperson. These findings provided ev idences of the influence of the stockperson's personality on performan ces in particular, on the integrated farms on which the management in the farrowing quarters was more proactive (implying a stronger relatio nship between the stockperson and the pigs). In contrast, the importan ce to preweaning performances of general hygiene and health control wa s emphasized on the independent farms.