The Management and Behaviour or Pregnant Sows on Pasture Assignment 1 | Massey University (MU)

119. 792 Special topic

Assignment one: The management and behaviour or pregnant sows on pasture

Worth 25% of final grade

Due 12^th December 2025

Objective: Describe the management, husbandry and behaviour of pregnant sows (from post-mating to late gestation) kept outdoors on pasture-based systems. In your assignment you should cover aspects such as:

• Routine procedures, and preventative health treatments of pregnant sows (timing, reason)
• General nutrition management and targets (e.g., daily feed intake, body condition)
• Housing and strategies to manage their thermal (temperature) needs at different times of the year
• Behavioural time budgets of pregnant sows kept outdoors (e.g., daily activity levels, resting time, social behaviour, time spent feeding/drinking)
• The welfare needs of pregnant sows on pasture with a focus on behaviour

You do not need to be New Zealand-specific but can draw upon NZ based management practices where appropriate. The resources used should mostly be peer- reviewed scientific articles, reports, and/or textbooks.

Please see the marking rubric on the following page.

Recommended literature (not exhaustive):

Buckner, L. J., Edwards, S. A., and Bruce, J .M. 1998. Behaviour and shelter use by outdoor sows. Applied Animal Behaviour Science https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1591(97)00111-1

Aube et al., 2021. Feed restriction and type of forage influence performance and behaviour of outdoor gestating sows. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100346 1751-7311

Eriksen, J., Studnitz, M., Strudsholm, K., Kongsted, A.G., Hermansen, J.E., 2006. Effect of nose ringing and stocking rate of pregnant and lactating outdoor sows on exploratory behaviour, grass cover and nutrient loss potential. Livestock Science 104, 91–102

Edwards et al, 2014. Animal health, welfare and production problems in organic pregnant and lactating sows. Organic Agriculture 4: 93 – 105. https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/article/10.1007/s13165-014-0061-7

Books available at Massey Library:

Outdoor Pig Production by Keith Thornton https://research.ebsco.com/c/4egzpd/search/details/nu5noop3uf?q=outdoor%20pig%20production

Outdoor pigs : principles and practice : proceedings of a conference held at Oxford University, 3 and 4 April 1989 / edited by B.A. Stark, D.H. Machin and J.M. Wilkinson

Marking rubric:

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