Sow responsiveness to human contacts and piglet vocalization during 24h after onset of parturition

Sow responsiveness towards external disturbances and concurrent postural changes are proposed to be an important cause of early piglet crushing. The aim of the present study was to assess whether loose housed sows change their responsiveness over time within the first 24h after birth of the first piglet upon exposure to different types of human contact and towards piglets' scream. The responsiveness of the sows (n =17) was scored during: (i) blood sampling of the sow during 24h after the onset of parturition, (ii) human handling of a piglet at 0, 30min, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24h after birth, (iii) screaming when a piglet was trapped underneath the sow and (iv) exposure to playback of piglets' screams at 10 and 24h after the onset of parturition. A sow was scored as responsive if she changed her posture in response to the stimuli. The behavioral scores were analyzed during three predefined periods: parturition (from birth of first piglet to birth of last piglet), phase 1 (from birth of last piglet to 12h after birth of first piglet) and phase 2 (from 12h after birth of first piglet to 24h after birth of first piglet). The responsiveness of sows towards humans during blood sampling differed between the three periods (p