MODELING EATING BEHAVIOR OF GROWING-FINISHING SWINE

A model was developed to predict the dynamic eating behavior of swine. The model employed a Markov chain to describe the sequence of eating and not eating behavioral events. Theoretical implications of assuming the Markov model on specific eating characteristics were developed, and these results were compared to data obtained from observation of three growing-finishing swine. Results showed that the model could predict the eating behavior of growing-finishing swine in an average sense, but could not accurately reproduce the distribution of meal lengths. This was due to the preference of the animals for meals lasting a specific length of time, a result the model could not account for.