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Early Environmental Experience and Transferable Skills in the Weaned Piglet

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

J J Cooper ,
L N Cox  and
C Whitworth
J J Cooper*
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, De Montfort University, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire NG32 3EP, UK
L N Cox
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, De Montfort University, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire NG32 3EP, UK
C Whitworth
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, De Montfort University, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire NG32 3EP, UK
*
† Contact for correspondence
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Extract

Early environmental experience can have significant effects on an animal's ability to adapt to challenges in later life. Prior experience of specific situations may facilitate the development of behavioural skills which can be applied in similar situations to later life. In addition, exposure to a more complex environment may enhance cognitive development (eg increased synaptic density), which can then speed the acquisition of new behavioural responses when faced with novel challenges (Grandin 1989).

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References

Grandin, T 1989 Effect of Rearing Environment and Environmental Enrichment on Behavior and Neural Development in Young Pigs. PhD thesis, University of Illinois, USAGoogle Scholar
Worobec, E K, Duncan, I J H and Widowski, T M 1999 The effects of weaning at 7, 14 and 28 days on piglet behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 62: 173–182CrossRefGoogle Scholar