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Nursing Order, Social Dominance and Growth in Swine¹

The Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802

Abstract

The development of the nursing order and relationships between the nursing order; and social dominance during suckling, after weaning and after mixing amongst litters were studied in 24 litters of piglets. Behavior-production relationships were also examined. Pigs dominant during nursing weighed more at birth, were involved in more fights, won more of their fights, initiated fewer fights, tended to gain control of the anterior teats, and exhibited lower mortality and greater gains to 21 days than did subordinates. Location of the first teat suckled strongly influenced strategies for locating teats on subsequent sucklings. Relationships established while suckling provided the basis for later social dominance ranks among older piglets within litters. Dominance in pigs mixed amongst litters was determined primarily by differences in weight rather than by prior experience.

¹ Contribution No. 5036 in the Journal Series of The Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station.

² Department of Dairy and Animal Science.

³ Department of Biology and Department of Poultry Science.

⁴ The authors thank W. D. McCort for assistance in data collection.

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