REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY AND BEHAVIOR OF PREGNANT SOWS HOUSED IN CAGES AND COLLECTIVE PENS WITH OR WITHOUT BEDDING

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effect of wood shaving bedding on pregnant sows under two housing conditions. Sixty-four animals were distributed into four treatments, each treatment included 54 sows split into three replicates. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used (two types of housing, collective pens (CP) and combined housing (cages + CP [CCP]); and two types of floor, concrete floor without wood shavings (CFWS-) and concrete floor with wood shavings (CFWS+), allowing establishing the following treatment combinations: CP+CFWS+, CP+CFWS-, CCP+CFWS+, and CCP+CFWS-. Animal behavior, bo...