Uppfödning av slaktgrisar (Sus scrofa domestica) i stora grupper
gruppstorlekens betydelse för grisars välfärd och produktionsresultat
This literature study deals with the pig industry and how group size and available floor area affects the animal welfare and the production results. It shows that both the pigs? welfare and production result can be affected negatively if the environment seems stressful for the pigs, and if they are housed in a narrow area. If the pigs are being exposed to either physiological or psychological stress factors their immune system can be decreased and the growth can be impaired. Influence by the social status of the pigs is also reviewed. This literature study also investigates the impact of enriched environment, and concludes that both the welfare and the production results are being positively influenced. The effects of group size are still unclear, as the scientists have obtained different results in their studies. Some of them have shown that both the welfare and the production result are negatively influenced if the pigs live in large groups, and others that the group size has a small effect or none at all.