Table 4. Spending time (± SD) of the sows’ behaviors during the lactating period

Behavior Housing system Day % p-value
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 14 20
Feeding and drinking FC 33 ± 25.3 21 ± 19.2 20 ± 13.9 61 ± 33.2 61 ± 26.6 55 ± 17.9 49 ± 13.3 85 ± 19.7a 95 ± 40.4 3.7 < 0.05
AFP 30 ± 14.0 28 ± 24.2 27 ± 24.7 25 ± 11.0 36 ± 33.3 55 ± 17.9 40 ± 31.7 40 ± 5.3b 64 ± 2.0 2.4
Lateral recumbency FC 807 ± 358.1 1,305 ± 18.5 1,107 ± 136.0 1,233 ± 71.5 1,261 ± 46.6 1,302 ± 29.5 1,290 ± 69.5 1,179 ± 72.2 1,091 ± 27.3 82.1 ns
AFP 1,108 ± 122.0 932 ± 234.2 1,092 ± 153.9 1,139 ± 247.2 1,183 ± 141.1 1,158 ± 29.5 1,213 ± 87.8 1,215 ± 90.4 1,145 ± 28.7 79.1
Ventral recumbency FC 361 ± 214.1 81 ± 12.1 205 ± 147.3 128 ± 74.1 97 ± 74.1 57 ± 52.7 81 ± 61.2 149 ± 104.9 209 ± 22.7 10.6 ns
AFP 265 ± 122.3 419 ± 222.9 251 ± 63.8 226 ± 179.2 180 ± 91.8 57 ± 35.2 143 ± 37.2 163 ± 73.9 179 ± 43.9 15.3
Sitting FC 111 ± 105.8 8 ± 8.7 7 ± 6.4 14 ± 2.0 7 ± 3.1 15 ± 2.3 11 ± 4.6 14 ± 14.0 36 ± 16.4 1.7 ns
AFP 23 ± 26.6 33 ± 31.9 55 ± 78.7 37 ± 59.5 18 ± 14.4 15 ± 2.3 24 ± 14.0 8 ± 10.4 28 ± 36.4 1.9
Standing FC 129 ± 88.5 25 ± 9.0 23 ± 15.3 5 ± 2.3 13 ± 5.0 11 ± 7.6 9 ± 12.9 13 ± 12.1 10 ± 9.2 1.9 ns
AFP 15 ± 8.1 27 ± 30.3 15 ± 14.2 13 ± 12.2 23 ± 12.2 11 ± 18.0 20 ± 13.1 14 ± 12.0 24 ± 7.2 1.4
Values within treatment (columns) with different superscripts differ significantly (p < 0.05).
FC, farrowing crate; AFP, alternative farrowing pen; ns, not significant (p > 0.05).