Footing and gait of pigs on different concrete surfaces. 1988

A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
Anim. Sci. Dept., University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.

Because pigs frequently lose their footing and slip, it is important to understand slipping and its relation to different floor surfaces. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the gait and footing of young pigs walking on concrete floor surfaces having known friction characteristics and to determine critical skid resistance values in terms of the fitness of a concrete surface for flooring in pig quarters. Barrows were cinematographed with a high-speed 16-mm camera as they walked on various surfaces, and gait and footing were subsequently analyzed in motion studies. The six concrete floor test pads with different surface treatments (fine and coarse sand, fine and coarse broom, wood float and steel trowel) were evaluated for friction coefficient (skid resistance value) using a British pendulum tester both before and after pig tests. Leg angle, pastern angle and time variables were not related with average skid resistance value of the different floors. However, slip variables during a stride's stance phase per se were well related to surface-treatment differences in average skid resistance. Thus, the average skid resistance value generated by the British pendulum tester yielded one piece of objective information useful in assessing the fitness of concrete surfaces for floors in pig quarters. All the surfaces except the steel trowel surface had average skid resistance value of greater than 65 British pendulum number, and they all reduced a pig's chance of slipping relative to the steel trowel (less than 60 British pendulum number). The front leg was a more sensitive indicator than the rear of a floor's effect on the pig's gait and footing.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008124 Locomotion Movement or the ability to move from one place or another. It can refer to humans, vertebrate or invertebrate animals, and microorganisms. Locomotor Activity,Activities, Locomotor,Activity, Locomotor,Locomotor Activities
D008297 Male Males
D009040 Motion Pictures The art, technique, or business of producing motion pictures for entertainment, propaganda, or instruction. Film,Motion Picture,Movie,Cinema,Films,Films as Topic,Movies,Movies as Topic,Cinemas,Films as Topics,Movies as Topics,Picture, Motion,Pictures, Motion
D005684 Gait Manner or style of walking. Gaits
D006799 Housing, Animal The physical environment in which animals are maintained. Animal Housing
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013552 Swine Any of various animals that constitute the family Suidae and comprise stout-bodied, short-legged omnivorous mammals with thick skin, usually covered with coarse bristles, a rather long mobile snout, and small tail. Included are the genera Babyrousa, Phacochoerus (wart hogs), and Sus, the latter containing the domestic pig (see SUS SCROFA). Phacochoerus,Pigs,Suidae,Warthogs,Wart Hogs,Hog, Wart,Hogs, Wart,Wart Hog

Related Publications

A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
June 2007, Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
March 2017, Applied ergonomics,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
April 2009, Gait & posture,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
August 2007, Veterinary surgery : VS,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
October 2021, Biology,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
January 2012, Journal of sports sciences,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
February 2014, Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
June 2017, Annals of biomedical engineering,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
March 2017, Journal of biomechanics,
A L Applegate, and S E Curtis, and J L Groppel, and J M McFarlane, and T M Widowski
July 2021, Sensors (Basel, Switzerland),
Copied contents to your clipboard!