Effect of increasing the floor space allowance on performance, skin lesions and behaviour of growing-finishing pigs

Two experiments were conducted successively in two rooms each comprising of six pens of 6.8 m2. The control treatment, ten pigs/pen (10C: 0.68m2/pig) was compared with 8 pigs/pen (8C: 0.85 m2/pig – experiment 1) and 7 pigs/pen (7C: 0.97m2/pig – experiment 2). Each experiment was repeated twice. Pigs were raised on concrete slatted floors. The initial and final pig weights were 26.6 kg and 110 kg. Posture and activity were video recorded three or four times during the experimental period. Lesions were scored after 41 and 79 days (exp. 1) and after 28, 48, 65 and 76 days (exp. 2). Group size did not affect the frequency of the principle types of posture (standing and lying fully recumbent). The pigs in group 10C were seen sitting more often than the 8C pigs (3.4 % vs. 2.8 %, p