When Pigs Fly by Emily Jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za The behavior of male and female swine. en-us 2017-03-05 21:03:22 UTC 2026-03-16 04:49:46 UTC hello@padlet.com Reproductive Behavior of Boars emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/157880143
  • The boar sniffs the female, noses sides, flanks and vulva
  • The boars also chants a ‘mating song’ of soft guttural grunts (6–8 seconds)
  • He foams at the mouth and moves his jaw from side to side as the female poses and bites the male’s ears gently
  •  When the sow becomes stationary the boar mounts
  •  Androstenone within boar saliva aids in eliciting the standing response in the sow
  • Pheromones in boar saliva and preputial secretions induce oestrus in gilts and sows 
]]> 2017-03-05 21:08:56 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/157880143 Abnormal Behavior in Swine emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/157883894
  • Tail and ear biting
  • Cannibalism
  • Reproductive behavior problems such as abnormal mating behavior and abnormal maternal behavior
  • Eating too much or too little
  • Persistent inguinal nose thrusting
  • Snout rubbing, when pigs rub their snouts on the flanks of other pigs causing necrosed areas
    • ]]>     2017-03-05 21:51:15 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/157883894     Reproductive Behavior of Sow and Gilts emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/157884162
  • Increased nervous activity
  • Desire to seek the boar
  • Loss of appetite
  • Male-like sexual behavior
  • Mounting other females
  • Change in vocalization, which include grunts or growls
  • Swollen vuvla

    • ]]>     2017-03-05 21:54:13 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/157884162     The Act of Mating emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158086782
  • Courtship behaviour lasts only a short time when a boar is placed in a small pen with an oestrous female
  • When the sow becomes stationary the boar mounts
  • Some sows are more attractive to boars than others and occasionally a sow may avoid and refuse to stand for a specific boar
    • ]]>     2017-03-06 16:45:25 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158086782     Maternal Offspring Behavior emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158087228
  • The sow will nest-build for up to six hours before parturition
  • While farrowing crates prevent much of this nest-building behavior, many elements are still present and the sow will often perform similar activities
  • Nursing is frequent, every 50–60 minutes, and the sow requires stimulation from piglets before milk let-down.
  • Sensory inputs such as, vocaliation, odors from  mammary and birth fluids and hair patterns of the sow

    • ]]>     2017-03-06 16:46:33 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158087228     Fun Facts emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158088286
  • Pigs of lower social status tend to produce litters with piglets that are lighter in weight
  • Dominant sows give birth to more male piglets than  do subordinate ones
  • Pigs are extremely social animals. They form close bonds with other individuals
  • It is known that mothers sing to their young while nursing
  • More than 20 vocalizations have been identified that pigs use in different situations
    • ]]>     2017-03-06 16:49:09 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158088286     Rearing System Influences Sow's behavior emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158093399
  • In females reared in individual crates until early control of gestation and in common crates (8-16 heads), prolificacy did not reach values that differ depending on the rearing system
  • In gestating sows reared in individual crates, the difference was significant during the entire gestation period compared to group rearing
  • The individual rearing system is not recommend because separation has negative influences on sows' behavior and financial aspects

    • Petroman, C. (2014). Influence of rearing system on sows' prolificacy during gestation. Scientific Papers: Animal Science And Biotechnologies, 47(1), 60-63.
    ]]>     2017-03-06 17:02:30 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158093399     The Effect of Thermal Stress on Reproductive Behavior emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158096768
  • The objective of the present research was to determine the influence of ambient air temperature in the farrowing section of a pig facility
  • Three groups of experimental temperatures were  22°C, 25°C, and 28°C.
  • Sows kept in periodic high ambient temperature (25°C, 28°C) showed a relatively long period of farrowing, more aggressive behavior and overlying


    • Babicz, M., Skrzypczak, E., Rejduch, B., Kozubska-Sobocin´ska, A., Chmielowiec-Korzeniowska, A., & Kasprzak, K. (2012). Effect of thermal stress on reproductive performance parameters of sows with defined genotype at the RYR1 locus. Annals Of Animal Science, 12(3), 323-333. doi:10.2478/v10220-012-0027-1
    ]]>     2017-03-06 17:11:51 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158096768     Boars Sexual Libido emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158099267
  • It is estimated that 20% of male pigs produced for breeding in the USA exhibit inadequate sexual performance 
  • Lack sexual libido
  • In some cases, it is necessary to assist boars manually to achieve intromission with receptive sows



    • Price, E. O. (2008). Principles and applications of domestic animal behavior : an introductory text / Edward O. Price. In Wallingford, UK ; Cambridge, MA : CABI, c2008.
    ]]>     2017-03-06 17:18:27 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158099267     Social organization, dominance hierarchies and leadership behavior emily_jahnke https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158105395
  • Huddling behavior-Young pigs are sensitive to cold and a behavioral feature retained through a pig’s life is the stimulus to huddle with litter mates
  • Another aspect of the huddling behavior is that pig are very sensitive to heat, so pigs seek shade and wallow in mud or water and become more active at night
  • Dominance hierarchy- When a number of unacquainted pigs are mixed together for the first time, they fight to establish a dominance hierarchy
  • Teat order- Within the first few hours to two weeks after farrowing, the piglets become capable of recognizing their positions on the udder and preferentially attach themselves to anterior rather than posterior teats
    • ]]>     2017-03-06 17:34:22 UTC https://padlet.com/emily_jahnke/f5iqbgpyx7za/wish/158105395