“Fatigue” due to excessive physical exertion isn’t the only reason that pigs become reluctant to move.
From page 23 of the TQA handbook:
“Fatigued pigs are defined as pigs that have temporarily lost the ability or the desire to walk but have a reasonable expectation to recover full locomotion with rest. These animals typically have an acid-base imbalance due to excessive muscle exertion which makes the blood more acidic in nature.”
Pigs will also stop moving as a defensive response.
- If pigs can’t get away from or circle us ie. flee to get out of our pressure
- if pigs aren’t in the frame of mind to fight us,
they also have the option of doing nothing; they can just stand still and refuse to move. And pigs will do precisely that.
One handler talked about feeder pigs “pouting”. I refer to it as “shutting down” and refusing to move. This is not the same as pigs being fatigued.
Pigs that “shut down and refuse to move” don’t quit moving because they need to recover from physical exertion. They hold still because their attempts to get release by moving away from our pressure haven’t worked. They can’t escape so they hunker down and wait for danger to pass; wait for us to leave. This is often associated with a Bunching herd response but also occurs with individual animals.
Pigs moving freely:
Handlers in these photos weren’t making any contact with the pigs. They were moving and working quietly and meeting pigs’ needs for visibility, release from pressure, and ability to stay with the herd. Even so pigs were cutting a wide swath around the handlers. (Distance between pigs and handler = pigs’ flight zones or handlers’ bubbles)
bubble with quiet movement
For more background go to www.lowstresspighandling.com Archives: January 15, 2010
In the next picture pigs caught just inside the handlers’ bubble were showing a Bunching response.
bunching just inside bubble
Pigs want that much space even with quiet handlers giving them what they need. Compare that to this video where the handler is in close and making repeated contact.
Pigs shut down and refusing to move
For more go to www.lowstresspighandling.com Archives: February 21, 2010 and March 1, 2010
Pigs that shut down will free up and start moving again if you walk away and leave them alone for awhile but it isn’t because they need rest from physical exertion. It is because leaving gives them release from our pressure which works more at a mental and emotional level than at a physical one.
Like fatigued pigs, pigs that have shut down need time to start moving again. Bringing more hogs right away as in the video, won’t likely pick up hogs stopped at the top of the ramp. They’ll simply stand there and block the fresh ones.
Fatigued pigs are often a product of aggressive handling.
Ironically, pigs often shut down in response to handlers’ attempts to move them more quietly or switch to different tools. Our instincts can pull us to work too close and tap or pat pigs to get them to move; or add extra people if we anticipate problems. Such actions don’t give release or let herd Flow carry the movement.
When we tap pigs repeatedly we don’t give them release. We essentially tell them that they can’t get away. We stop them with our efforts to move them.
Fatigued pigs and those that have shut down are in different physical states but both need a time out to recover and resume moving, and both situations can be minimized with effective handling methods.
“Flight or fight” is a good starting point but it leaves unanswered questions
- It doesn’t explain how herd dynamics influence the ways groups of pigs respond to handlers and how we can use this to our advantage
- It doesn’t adequately explain the influence of fear and distrust on pigs’ attention and willingness to move
- It doesn’t factor in pigs’ responses when they can’t get release from a handler’s pressure
Those missing parts contribute to pig handling problems and lost opportunities for easier pig movement.
That’s it for this week
Take care
Nancy Lidster