Effect of floor type (slatted/partly slatted) and pen size on the welfare of growing/finishing pigs

The aim of the study was to compare the incidence of floor type : partly slatted floor (PSF) vs. fully slatted floor (FSF), on several welfare criteria in two experiments.In the first experiment, the stocking density was the same for all treatments (0.97m2/pig). The second experiment considered the situation of a farmer who has fully slatted floors in his buildings and he needs to change the type of flooring.Therefore, we compared three rooms : fully slatted floor with 10 pigs/pen (0.68m2/pig), partially slatted floor with 8 pigs/pen (PSF) and a partially slatted floor with 24 pigs/pen (PSF24). The surface area per pig was the same for the latter two treatments (0.85m2/pig).Pig growth was reduced (P