Table 1.
Health scoring system used to assess weaner and finisher pigs, based on the Welfare Quality assessment protocol (Welfare Quality®, 2009).
| Health parameter | Scoring level | Score | Score description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scouring | Group | 0 | No liquid faeces visible on the floor |
| 1 | Liquid faeces visible on the floor | ||
| Respiratory problems | Group | ||
| Coughing | Number of coughs recorded per observation | ||
| Sneezing | Number of sneezes recorded per observation | ||
| Locomotor disorders | Individual | ||
| Bursitis | 0 | No evidence of bursae | |
| 1 | At least one bursa present | ||
| Lameness | 0 | Normal gait | |
| 1 | Difficulty in walking | ||
| Tail lesions | Individual | 0 | No evidence of tail biting |
| 1 | Any sign of tail biting present | ||
| Ear lesions | Individual | 0 | Undamaged ears/lesions with no sign of blood |
| 1 | Blood is visible on outer side of ear | ||
| Body lesions | Individual | 0 | No visible skin injuries/up to 4 lesions visible on the pig body (1 lesion = 2 cm or longer) |
| 1 | More than 4 lesions were found on the pig body |