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Gewählte Master / Diploma Thesis:

Marina Martha Hetzner (2017): Ohr- und Schwanzveränderungen bei Aufzuchtferkeln: Entwicklungen und Zusammenhänge.
Master / Diploma Thesis - Institut für Nutztierwissenschaften (NUWI), BOKU-Universität für Bodenkultur, pp 54. UB BOKU obvsg

Data Source: ZID Abstracts

Abstract:: The goal of this study was to gain knowledge about the development of ear alterations of rearing piglets in relation to tail alterations and behaviour. To achieve this, 240 piglets at the “Landesanstalt für Schweinezucht Boxberg” (LSZ) and 260 piglets at a commercial pig farm were scored according to the most detailed level of the “Deutscher Schweine Bonitur Schlüssel” every second day during six weeks of rearing. In addition, direct continuous behaviour recording was conducted with 80 piglets at the LSZ. It was investigated, if necroses or lesions appeared first, in which order ears and tails were affected, if alterations on one part of the body influenced the risk of alterations on another part of the body and which relation with behaviour existed. On the ears, lesions always appeared before necroses (p <0.001). Regarding tails, both farms differed. If scratches on the ears were excluded, tails were affected first (p <0.001) and it was almost four times more likely that an ear alteration appeared before the tail alteration than the other way round (odds ratio = 3.87). Some relations between ear alterations and ear manipulations were found, but not regarding the tail. The results suggest that on the ears necroses appear as a consequence of lesions and not exclusively due to endogen factors. The heterogeneous picture regarding tail alterations is probably due to the difficulty in scoring necroses correctly. Even though some of the results of this study are to be analysed in detail in further studies, this study nevertheless is a first step towards better understanding of the development of ear and tail alterations and thus possibly being able to reduce them.; Beurteilende(r): Winckler Christoph; 1.Mitwirkender: Leeb Christine; 2.Mitwirkender: