Evaluation of Foot and Claw Lesions and Claw Horn Growth in Piglets from Birth to End of Nursery
The objective of this study is to evaluate foot lesions and claw horn growth of piglets from the day of birth until the end of the suckling period and describe the prevalence and extent in three different genetic lines. Therefore, bruising, dorsal horn lesions, claw horn growth, and weight gain were...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3477 |
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| author | Maren Bernau Hannah Meckel Theresa Dölle Armin Manfred Scholz |
| author_facet | Maren Bernau Hannah Meckel Theresa Dölle Armin Manfred Scholz |
| author_sort | Maren Bernau |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The objective of this study is to evaluate foot lesions and claw horn growth of piglets from the day of birth until the end of the suckling period and describe the prevalence and extent in three different genetic lines. Therefore, bruising, dorsal horn lesions, claw horn growth, and weight gain were evaluated five times during growth, starting with the day of birth (day 0 of life) and ending with the end of nursery (day 68 ± 2 of life). Totally, 74 piglets of three genetic lines (German Landrace × Large White; Piétrain × Piétrain-Duroc; pure German Landrace) were examined. Bruising and dorsal horn lesions reached maximum levels at day 7 (±1) of life (with up to 91% of piglets having bruising marks and up to 94.1% of piglets having dorsal horn lesions). Differences among genetic lines were detected, with German Landrace × Large White crossbreds showing the highest percentage of bruising, but Piétrain × Piétrain-Duroc crossbreds showed the highest score for dorsal horn lesions at day 0. Until weaning (day 28 ± 1), front feet were more affected by bruising than hind feet (70.3% of the front feet and 64% of the hind feet showed bruising), but at the end of nursery (day 68 ± 2), hind feet showed a higher percentage of affected feet than front feet (65.5% vs. 41.3%). Several factors affect bruising scores in piglets, including body weight, age at examination, litter size, sex, parity, breed, and claw horn length. Additionally, significant differences for claw horn length were detected among the genetic lines from birth to end of nursery. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:05:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02f244a15cc44c9fa1bf39fc29231c10 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:05:05Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-02f244a15cc44c9fa1bf39fc29231c102023-11-24T14:24:40ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-11-011322347710.3390/ani13223477Evaluation of Foot and Claw Lesions and Claw Horn Growth in Piglets from Birth to End of NurseryMaren Bernau0Hannah Meckel1Theresa Dölle2Armin Manfred Scholz3Livestock Center Oberschleissheim, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, St. Hubertusstrasse 12, 85764 Oberschleissheim, GermanyLivestock Center Oberschleissheim, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, St. Hubertusstrasse 12, 85764 Oberschleissheim, GermanyLivestock Center Oberschleissheim, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, St. Hubertusstrasse 12, 85764 Oberschleissheim, GermanyLivestock Center Oberschleissheim, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, St. Hubertusstrasse 12, 85764 Oberschleissheim, GermanyThe objective of this study is to evaluate foot lesions and claw horn growth of piglets from the day of birth until the end of the suckling period and describe the prevalence and extent in three different genetic lines. Therefore, bruising, dorsal horn lesions, claw horn growth, and weight gain were evaluated five times during growth, starting with the day of birth (day 0 of life) and ending with the end of nursery (day 68 ± 2 of life). Totally, 74 piglets of three genetic lines (German Landrace × Large White; Piétrain × Piétrain-Duroc; pure German Landrace) were examined. Bruising and dorsal horn lesions reached maximum levels at day 7 (±1) of life (with up to 91% of piglets having bruising marks and up to 94.1% of piglets having dorsal horn lesions). Differences among genetic lines were detected, with German Landrace × Large White crossbreds showing the highest percentage of bruising, but Piétrain × Piétrain-Duroc crossbreds showed the highest score for dorsal horn lesions at day 0. Until weaning (day 28 ± 1), front feet were more affected by bruising than hind feet (70.3% of the front feet and 64% of the hind feet showed bruising), but at the end of nursery (day 68 ± 2), hind feet showed a higher percentage of affected feet than front feet (65.5% vs. 41.3%). Several factors affect bruising scores in piglets, including body weight, age at examination, litter size, sex, parity, breed, and claw horn length. Additionally, significant differences for claw horn length were detected among the genetic lines from birth to end of nursery.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3477swinefoot lesionscoringclaw horn length |
| spellingShingle | Maren Bernau Hannah Meckel Theresa Dölle Armin Manfred Scholz Evaluation of Foot and Claw Lesions and Claw Horn Growth in Piglets from Birth to End of Nursery Animals swine foot lesion scoring claw horn length |
| title | Evaluation of Foot and Claw Lesions and Claw Horn Growth in Piglets from Birth to End of Nursery |
| title_full | Evaluation of Foot and Claw Lesions and Claw Horn Growth in Piglets from Birth to End of Nursery |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of Foot and Claw Lesions and Claw Horn Growth in Piglets from Birth to End of Nursery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of Foot and Claw Lesions and Claw Horn Growth in Piglets from Birth to End of Nursery |
| title_short | Evaluation of Foot and Claw Lesions and Claw Horn Growth in Piglets from Birth to End of Nursery |
| title_sort | evaluation of foot and claw lesions and claw horn growth in piglets from birth to end of nursery |
| topic | swine foot lesion scoring claw horn length |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3477 |
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