A note on the consistency of a behavioral play marker in piglets

Background Play behavior has been proposed as a new potential indicator of animal welfare. Animals play only if they are in a relaxed state. Play may improve adaptability to challenging environments which may be of interest in the breeding objective. Little information is available on play behavior in livestock species. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether play behavior in post-weaned piglets can be induced instantly in the presence of additional space and whether play markers are body weight, sex, and litter dependent. It is investigated whether playfulness is elicited by the moment or if this measure is consistent over different days.Methods Thirty two piglets from four litters were released into a corridor and video recorded for eight min at 37, 41, 44 and 48 d of age. The first test was considered as an adjustment period and was not included in the analysis. In the second to the fourth test, joyful brusque movements (jumping, turning and running) were recorded with a camera and total number of movements (JOY#) and total time (JOYtime) were estimated individually. Animals were weighed at 41 d of age.Results Females had higher scores of JOY# and JOYtime than males but this was significant only for JOY# at 41 d of age (P Conclusions Locomotor play was induced instantly by the provision of increased space allowance. Litter origin had a significant effect on play behavior. In addition, locomotor play scores were consistent between two of the three tests.