The Rural Voice, 1986-06, Page 28"Hot or Cold"
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26 THE RURAL VOICE
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SPLIT-LEVEL
HOUSING
Happy pigs are usually healthy
pigs and the healthier they are, the
more money they'll bring at the
slaughterhouse.
That's the theory behind the
development by Agriculture
Canada of a new, two-level pen
that provides pigs with clean living
quarters and gives them more
variety in their surroundings.
Contrary to popular belief, pigs
are fairly fastidious creatures.
They also have a healthy sense of
curiosity which, if left unfulfilled,
can Lead to problems. And without
exercise, they're apt to go lame.
It was with these factors in mind
that Dave Fraser, an expert in
animal behavior at Agriculture
Canada's Animal Research Centre
in Ottawa, set out to create the new
pen.
Conceived with the help of Peter
Philips of the department's
Engineering and Statistical
Research Institute, the design is
deceivingly simple. The pen is of
normal size, with a second story
about a metre off the ground. The
bottom floor is slotted for
drainage, the top floor is solid and
the two are connected by a short
ramp.
A major advantage of the pen is
that producers could house 50 per
cent more pigs without outwardly
expanding their facilities.
So far the animals seem to take
readily to the split-level arrange-
ment.
"Pigs are easier to house -train
than dogs," says Dr. Fraser,
whose interest in things porcine is
evident in the large collection of
miniature plaster and porcelain
pigs in his office."
"They quickly learn the upstairs
is the bedroom and the downstairs
is the bathroom."
The development of the pen
evolved through Dr. Fraser's study
of pig behavior. He is the Animal
Research Centre's staff ethologist,
or expert in animal behavior, one
of only a handful in the country.
While research into nutrition,
breeding and genetics has been car-
ried out for years, ethology is a
relatively new science. But it's
growing in importance because in-