Motivated, competent and professional care by employees has a major impact on the welfare of pigs. To this end, the Interest Group of Pig Farmers in Thuringia (Interessengemeinschaft der Schweinehalter in Thüringen e.V.), together with the Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas (Thüringer Landesamt für Landwirtschaft und Ländlichen Raum) and Landvolkbildung Thüringen e.V., has been organising a training event for seven years now.  This year, the Animal Welfare Focus Network supported this event for the second time, in which participants were trained in hoof care and the handling of moribund animals.

Hoof care in pigs

In the first part, Dr Eckard Meyer (Saxony State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG), Köllitsch) discussed hoof care in pigs. Hoof health is a good indicator of animal welfare on the farm and should be part of regular animal checks. Dr Meyer began by discussing the difference between wild boars and domestic pigs in terms of their hooves. Domestic pigs can weigh up to four times as much as their wild counterparts, without any corresponding change in the anatomy of their hooves. When the differences in environmental conditions are also taken into account, it becomes clear where health problems originate. Using data from the Köllitsch teaching and research farm, Dr Meyer demonstrated the influence of physical activity, body weight, age and housing type on hoof health. The hooves were assessed in Köllitsch using the Animal Sciences Group's checklist. With the help of this checklist, a little time and patience, any employee can carry out this assessment in their herd. Dr Meyer encouraged livestock farmers to incorporate this into their operations and recommended that each farm should determine its own preferences. In particular, all processes that cause inflammation must be taken into account.
He also addressed the influences of feeding, genetics and the condition of the barn floor. For example, dribble feeding with an animal-feeding place ratio of 1:1 is preferable to automatic feeding (ad libitum, several sows sharing one feeding place). With automatic feeding, there is more movement in the groups, which means that the strain on the hooves is greater. With regard to stable floors, Dr Meyer went on to point out that slatted floors in particular pose a risk of injury to the hooves. In newly built compartments in particular, these should be reworked before occupancy in order to reduce the risk of injury, for example from sharp edges. The speaker then addressed the topic of hoof care. Compared to hoof care in cattle, this is much more difficult in pigs, but it is possible. He recommended inspecting the hooves in the farrowing area and performing hoof care where necessary. When treating the hooves, it is important to work on the contact surface of the hoof carefully and purposefully.

Dealing with sick and injured animals

In the second part of the event, Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Große Beilage (University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation (TiHo)) addressed the difficult topic of dealing with moribund animals. She sensitised the participants to the fact that each animal requires an individual decision. As a decision-making aid, she recommended that farmers consider how the animal can be spared suffering, but also take into account the chances of successful treatment and the expected treatment costs and weigh these against the loss of the animal. However, the treatment costs alone are not a reasonable reason for emergency killing.  If this is the case, the decision should be made in consultation with the attending veterinarian.

Prof. Dr. Große Beilage used numerous examples and videos to illustrate when euthanasia was performed at the right time and when it was too late. The speaker discussed symptoms such as emaciation, lameness, recumbency and labored breathing. She showed the participants the criteria that can be used to make the decision. Ultimately, the primary principle is to spare the animals further suffering.   

Author: Sophie Klinkhart, Thuringian State Office for Agriculture and Rural Areas