The effects of stocking density and pen shape on the behaviour, incidence of aggression and subsequent skin damage of sows mixed in a specialised mixing pen

Introduction The mixing of unfamiliar sows at weaning forces the establishment of dominance hierarchies, which frequently involves aggression (Kay et al, 1999). The objective of this study was to determine whether different stocking densities and pen shapes would reduce the incidence of aggression and levels of skin damage. The ultimate aim was to design a mixing pen which could be used to enhance the welfare of groups of newly-weaned sows.