Environmental enrichment in piglet creeps: behavior and productive performance

Abstract In the farrowing stage, to use heated creeps is crucial for meeting the thermal requirements of newborn piglets and alternatives for environmental enrichment to attract the animals to the creeps. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavior and productive performance of piglets submitted to creeps enriched with different types of sensory stimuli. The study had a completely randomized design. The animals were submitted to seven treatments: T1 ) Enrichment with blue LED lighting; T2 ) Enrichment with fragrance of chamomile ( Matricaria chamomilla ) essential oil; T3 ) Enrichment with fragrance of lavender ( Lavandula ) essential oil; T4 ) Enrichment with fragrance of lemon ( Citrus × latifolia ) essential oil; T5 ) Enrichment with classical music, “The Four Seasons” by Vivaldi; T6 ) Creeps heated without environmental enrichment (control group); T7 ) Enrichment with fragrance of thyme ( Thymus vulgaris ) essential oil. The piglets were submitted to creeps with environmental enrichment under automatic control every 15 min (on/off), from 8 am to 5:45 pm (21 consecutive days). The environmental conditions of the creeps – air temperature, relative humidity, luminous intensity, and decibels – were evaluated within the creeps with environmental enrichment to determine the influence on the piglets’ behavior and productive performance. The results show that piglets submitted to creeps with environmental enrichment with blue artificial light and thyme essential oil showed reduced frequency outside the creeps when compared with treatment T6 (control). This showed the reduction of the stay of piglets in areas susceptible to crushing, in proximities to the mother. Piglets showed greater preference for creeps enriched with fragrance diffusion of thyme essential oil and with blue artificial lighting.