Avaliação de comportamentos de suínos em fase de crescimento e terminação: revisão

Abstract

Environmental and genetic differences between experiments and even evaluative methodologies can influence the study of behavior. Conducting a study on the behavioral assessments of pigs can assist in data collection and assessment in order to produce greater understanding and refinement for the collection and analysis of information. Thus, the objective of this work is to study, through a review, the evaluative methodologies of the behavior of growing and finishing pigs. The study was developed from data taken from articles on behavioral assessment of growing and finishing pigs. The information was individually evaluated and tabulated in an electronic spreadsheet in order to enable a review. The behaviors evaluated by the authors did not follow standards regarding the terms used. Eating and lying down behaviors were evaluated by most authors and vocalization was evaluated by only two authors. This demonstrates the need for standardization regarding the most relevant behaviors for behavioral studies. Agonistic behaviors were also evaluated and most authors did not specify the reasons why they were evaluated, as well as their relevance to the study. Furthermore, not even the evaluative methodologies and the ways in which data were expressed followed a pattern among the authors. The review made it possible to observe the differences regarding the evaluation methodologies of the behavior of pigs in the growing and finishing phases. There are divergences regarding the duration, frequency, period, ways of observing the experiments and expressing the data, and regarding the terms used to define the behaviors.