Effect of Group Mixing and Available Space on Performance, Feeding Behavior, and Fecal Microbiota Composition during the Growth Period of Pigs
Adrià Clavell-Sansalvador,
Raquel Río-López,
Olga González-Rodríguez,
L. Jesús García-Gil,
Xavier Xifró,
Gustavo Zigovski,
Juan Ochoteco-Asensio,
Maria Ballester,
Antoni Dalmau,
Yuliaxis Ramayo-Caldas
Affiliations
Adrià Clavell-Sansalvador
Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
Raquel Río-López
Animal Welfare Subprogram, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), 17121 Monells, Girona, Spain
Olga González-Rodríguez
Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
L. Jesús García-Gil
Digestive Diseases and Microbiota Group, Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGI), 17190 Girona, Girona, Spain
Xavier Xifró
New Therapeutic Targets Lab Research Group, Medical Sciences Departament, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Girona, 17071 Girona, Girona, Spain
Gustavo Zigovski
School of Medicine and Life Sciences, Graduate Program in Animal Science, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR), Curitiba 80215-901, Paraná, Brazil
Juan Ochoteco-Asensio
Animal Welfare Subprogram, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), 17121 Monells, Girona, Spain
Maria Ballester
Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
Antoni Dalmau
Animal Welfare Subprogram, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), 17121 Monells, Girona, Spain
Yuliaxis Ramayo-Caldas
Animal Breeding and Genetics Program, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon, 08140 Caldes de Montbui, Barcelona, Spain
Stress significantly affects the health, welfare, and productivity of farm animals. We performed a longitudinal study to evaluate stress’s effects on pig performance, feeding behavior, and fecal microbiota composition. This study involved 64 Duroc pigs during the fattening period, divided into two experimental groups: a stress group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 32). Stressed groups had less space and were mixed twice during the experiment. We monitored body weight, feed efficiency, feeding behavior, and fecal microbiota composition. Compared to the control group, the stressed pigs exhibited reduced body weight, feed efficiency, fewer feeder visits, and longer meal durations. In the fecal microbiota, resilience was observed, with greater differences between groups when sampling was closer to the stressful stimulus. Stressed pigs showed an increase in opportunistic bacteria, such as Streptococcus, Treponema and members of the Erysipelotrichaceae family, while control pigs had more butyrate- and propionate-producing genera like Anaerobutyricum, Coprococcus and HUN007. Our findings confirm that prolonged stress negatively impacts porcine welfare, behavior, and performance, and alters their gut microbiota. Specific microorganisms identified could serve as non-invasive biomarkers for stress, potentially informing both animal welfare and similar gut-brain axis mechanisms relevant to human research.
