Location: Livestock Behavior Research
Project Number: 5020-32000-014-060-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2019
End Date: Dec 31, 2022
Objective:
To examine the effects of maternal behavior and early handling on the pig’s subsequent responses to psychosocial and physical stressors routinely encountered in commercial pork production.
Approach:
A factorial treatment design with the two following main effects will be conducted:
1) Maternal behavior – in 2 experiments, maternal behavior will be manipulated using 2 treatments to produce two levels of maternal behavior (‘Higher’ and ‘Lower Maternal Behavior’ treatments);
2) Human contact – in 2 experiments, fear responses to humans will be manipulated using 2 treatments to produce two levels of fear of humans (‘Higher’ and ‘Lower Fear Behavior’treatments).
