Impact of porcine ear necrosis on weaned pigs

Porcine ear necrosis may have social causes among others risk factors already described.
➡ A high incidence of social nosing, which can be an indicator of good social cohesion in a group, was significantly associated with less frequent lesions of ear necrosis;
➡ A high incidence of oral manipulation of pen mates was significantly associated with more frequent lesions of ear necrosis;
➡ Finally, the higher the increase in hydroperoxides and haptoglobin during the early post-weaning period, the higher the severity of ear necrosis.
▶ Our study suggests that improving the welfare of piglets should be a first step in a farm dealing with porcine ear necrosis.