Ease of Handling and Physiological Parameters of Stress, Carcasses, and Pork Quality of Pigs Handled in Different Group Sizes
Filipe Antonio Dalla Costa,
Osmar Antonio Dalla Costa,
Izabela Cruvinel Di Castro,
Neville George Gregory,
Melissa Selaysim Di Campos,
Guilherme Brunno de Medeiros Leal,
Fernando de Castro Tavernari
Affiliations
Filipe Antonio Dalla Costa
Programa de Pós-graduação em Zootecnia, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual Paulista, UNESP-FCAV, Jaboticabal 14884-900, Brazil
Osmar Antonio Dalla Costa
Embrapa Suínos e Aves (Embrapa Swine and Poultry), BR 153, Km 110, Concórdia 89700-991, Brazil
Izabela Cruvinel Di Castro
Programa de Pós-graduação em Zootecnia, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia—GO 74.045-155, Brazil
Neville George Gregory
Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield E16 2PX, UK
Melissa Selaysim Di Campos
Programa de Pós-graduação em Zootecnia, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia—GO 74.045-155, Brazil
Guilherme Brunno de Medeiros Leal
Programa de Pós-graduação em Zootecnia, Escola de Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia—GO 74.045-155, Brazil
Fernando de Castro Tavernari
Embrapa Suínos e Aves (Embrapa Swine and Poultry), BR 153, Km 110, Concórdia 89700-991, Brazil
The effect of different group sizes of pigs (3, 5, and 10 pigs) during handling on physiological parameters, carcasses, and pork quality traits at the farm and slaughterhouse were evaluated in 360 pigs from five farms (four repetitions or group/treatment/farms). Data was analyzed as a factorial of 3 × 5 (3 treatments × 5 farms) to check effects of treatments by analysis of variance in ANOVA. Ease of handling decreased as the group size increased. However, time taken in handling was not influenced by the group size (p > 0.10). Moving pigs in groups of five animals reduced effects on blood cortisol levels (p < 0.05). Fighting and handling lesions in the carcasses increased for bigger handling groups (p < 0.05). Pigs handled in groups of three and ten animals had a higher pHu and initial temperature in Longissimus thoracis and Semimembranosus (p < 0.05) and lower drip loss in Semimembranosus (p < 0.05). However, meat quality classifications of the carcasses were not affected by treatments. Based on the results, moving groups of five pigs seems to be the best strategy to improve animal welfare, carcasses and pork quality.
