EFFECT OF SOWS HOUSING MODE ON STRESS INDICATORS

The research was accomplished on a farm with industrial housing of sows and on a family agricultural farm where sows are freely housed, outdoors. Twenty breeding sows from each farm were studied in this research. The experiment was conducted aiming to compare housing of sows, as well as those factors affecting stress indicators. For this purpose cortisol level was determined five days before farrowing, five days after farrowing and a day after weaning. Besides cortisol, other haematological parameters were determined in the blood, also. Statistically significant higher concentration of cortisol was determined at five days before farrowing in sows housed freely compared to sows housed industrially (p < 0.05). Five days after farrowing and a day after weaning, concentrations of cortisol were lower in the blood of freely housed sows compared to industrially housed sows. However, the difference was not significant. The level of cortisol determined in sows housed freely during pregnancy, and after dislocation into wedged farrowing departments, five days before farrowing, was significantly higher than in industrial sows. The aforesaid confirmed stress that can be induced by relocating the sows to a new location and wedged space. The level of cortisol, determined in industrial sows was almost of equal values during the whole research, the fact being related to constant stress conditions.