Stop tail docking
Chief manager Torben Jensen, PRC
DK- stop tail docking
trials
Criterias to be fulfilled before
starting
– Very low frequency of tail biting
among docked pigs te year before
– Stop docking about 75-80 piglets pr.
batch
– + extra enrichment
Herd 1 - WTF (7-110 kg)
Herd 2 – (7-30 kg) → (30-110 kg)
Herd 1, Bite rite
Pigs with damaged tails
• Tail damages
– Registered every 14. day
Number of pigs with tail bites pr. batch (pct.)
Pigs pr.
Herd Batches batch
0-30 kg
30-60 kg
Mean min - max Mean
60-85 kg
min – max Mean. min - max
1
5
89 – 111
2.2
0.2 – 6.5
7.8
0 - 16
4
0 – 6.4
2
16
69 – 77
8,2
0 - 29
20.3
0 – 59
7.5
1.4 - 18
Typical tail damages
• Difference between herd 1 og 2
• Difficult to get the tails to heal in herd 2
Herd 2
- proportion bitten pigs
~ 75 individually marked pigs pr. batch divided in 3 pens
Batch nr.
Proportion bitten pigs
(pct.)
6
55
7
72
8
69
10
49
11
20
12
24
13
54
14
84
15
58
16
39
17
31
11
51
Herd 2
• Medical treatments
• 374 treatments in total → 169 treatments against tail bite
– Increased use of antibiotics
• Mortality
• Mean. 5.7 pct. (0 – 10.7 pct. pr. batch)
– DK-average - 3.5 pct.
• In total 42 destroyed pigs (14 batches)
– 32 destroyed because of tail bites
• Part time lack of hospital pens.
• Abattoir
– No difference in number of condemned pigs
– Remarks about tail bites
• Undocked tails
5 pct.
• Docked tails
0.4 pct.
• DK-average
0.8 pct.
How to stop an out break?
PRC experiences
• Stop tail docking means:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Increased number of tail bitten pigs – even in well managed herds
Increased use of antibiotics
Increased need for hospital pens
Increased mortality rate
Increased need for occupational materials (and increased costs)
The number of condemned pigs will probably be increased
How to get started?
• Experiences from abroad and Antonius
production points out that the risk of tail
biting is reduced if:
–
–
–
–
There is solid floor with straw in the pen
The area pr. pig is increased
The pigs are healthy
Exttra enrichment with nowelty value is
used
– Stress around feeding is reduced
• Sufficient number of eating spots
• Start with a few pens with pigs with long
tails
– Learn how to take care of pigs with long
tails!
– Have a sufficient number of hospital pens
– React on tail biting immediately!
Søren Søndergaard
Weaner pen
Søren Søndergaard
Finisher pen
The pen is made ready to
insert the finisher pigs
Søren Søndergaard,
primarily results, batch 1
Pen
Number
Number
Moved to
finisher room
50514
Date
5-F
6-F
3-K
4-K
100414
38
17
0
0
300414
6
18
0
0
Pen
Date
11-F
12-F
13-F
14-F
7-K
Number
150514
7
1
4
3
0
Number
230514
11
1
3
5
0
Number
130614
1
1
0
0
1 (m.tabt
ø. mrk.)
Number
250614
0
0
0
2
0
Number
70714
1
0
0
0
0
8-K
9-K
10-K
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Number
Søren Søndergaard,
primarily results, batch 2
Sti/
Number
Number
Moved to
finisher room
80814
Dato
70714
10814
3-F
0
11
4-F
0
39
5-K
0
0
6-K
0
0
Pen
Number
Number
Number
Number
Number
Date
140814
290814
120914
300914
141014
13-F
16
2
0
0
0
14-F
18
10
4
2
1
15-F
16
5
1
0
0
16-F
14
5
0
0
0
9-K
0
0
0
0
0
10-K
0
0
0
0
0
11-K
0
0
0
0
0
12-K
0
0
0
0
0
Number