Evaluation of Sling Restraint Use For Pigs

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Hannah Hammond

Abstract or Description

Reducing stress is a key component of improving animal welfare in a research setting. For many research studies using pigs, sample collection through blood draw is required, and obtaining these samples requires restraint of the pigs. Common restraint methods used within the swine industry for older pigs, such as nose snaring, are not ideal for repetitive research practice as they can cause increased stress levels, especially if the pigs are not accustomed to the restraint method. Therefore, it is important to identify restraint methods that minimize stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of hammock slings to restrain pigs in a calm manner. For this study, eight 6 week old pigs from two litters (housed in 4 pens, 2 littermates per pen) were used. Each pig was taken out of their pen and placed within a sling just outside of their pen. Once the pig remained calm for five seconds, it was released from the sling and placed back in its pen. A pig was determined to be calm when it was not making any loud noises apart from normal communication and not flailing or kicking its legs aggressively. In this presentation, I will cover the process of restraining pigs in a sling in order to minimize stress during handling.

Mentor

Andrea Luttman, Nancy Raney, Catherine Ernst