ORAL NASAL/FACIAL AND OTHER BEHAVIORS OF SOWS KEPT INDIVIDUALLY OUTDOORS ON PASTURE, SOIL OR INDOORS IN GESTATION CRATES/

The behavior of individually kept PIC Camborough-15 sows was compared when they were housed in three systems: pasture, soil or gestation cra tes. All sows were fed 2.0 kg of fortified, sorghum-soybean diet each day. Crated sows were divided into two groups: those fed meal and thos e fed pellets. As is common among sows on pasture and soil, outdoor so ws were fed pellets. Eight sows per treatment were studied. Observers recorded the occurrences of standing, lying, sitting, feeding, drinkin g, and oral/nasal/facial manipulation of environment using a scan tech nique every 5 min for 24 h. Oral/nasal/facial behaviors recorded inclu ded: chew/bite grass, chew/bite fence/bars, chew rocks/soil and rootin g the ground or trough. Sows in each treatment group performed statist ically similar frequencies of total oral/nasal/facial behaviors during the 24 h sample period. Pasture-kept sows chewed grass, soil-kept sow s chewed rocks and soil, and crated sows chewed the bars. All sows roo ted and chewed on the substrate available to them. Frequency, duration and sequential analyses of sow behaviors for an intensive 2 h period starting 30 min post feeding then were investigated. Ten sows per trea tment were investigated. Once again, while the precise substrate diffe red depending on availability, sows on pasture, soil and in gestation crates showed similar overall durations of stereotyped and non-stereot yped oral/nasal/facial behaviors. Sequential analyses showed subtle di fferences in oral/nasal/facial behavioral sequences. Sows engaged in r epeated behavior patterns that provide the greatest stimulation to the oral/nasal/facial region least stimulated by the available substrates within an environment. These stereotyped behaviors may be natural pre - and post-feeding appetitive and consummatory chewing and rooting act ivities modified in sequences and form by the available substrates.