User:Yellow Martin/sandbox

Article Evaluation

I felt that everything in the article was relevant to the article topic however I was distracted by grammatical issues such as excessive use of commas and run on sentences. These issues caused some confusion but can be easily fixed with some rewording. I would have liked to see sub sections - education, work, contributions to ethology, etc. I believe having the information better categorized would make the article easier to read and comprehend. The article does not have any frames that appear heavily biased however there were a few choice words that should be changed as they suggest the presence of an opinion such as "in retrospect". The article seems to focus heavily on Craig's education and where he worked/taught but seems to lack information regarding his research and contributions to the field of ethology. Though some information is mentioned, the article does not go in depth with the who/what/when/where/how's of his research. This article does not have references embedded in the text however there are references listed at the end. Due to this, it is not known what information was taken from what source. The links that do work contain relevant information to the article but only one of the working links is from reliable sources. The talk page of this article contains no comments or suggestions. In our class we discussed Wallace Craig and his research done on avian displays in ring doves. The article only briefly mentions that Wallace worked with pigeons with research focused on emotions, behaviours, appetites and aversions and does not dive into depth on what he did with these topics.

Topic and Sources - Savaging

I plan to add sections regarding the effects of environmental factors, parity and prior experience on savaging. Additionally, I plan to add a section on savaging in different breeds, characteristic behaviours of savaging sows, preventative measures and behavioural modification practices.

Savaging is a term used in the study of ethology that refers to aggressive behaviour displayed by the mother towards the offspring. Aggressive behaviour includes being rough with, hurting, attacking, crushing and killing of the offspring. While savaging behaviour has been seen in multiple species, it is predominantly demonstrated in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestics). As the definition of savaging is so broad, research on the prevelence of savaging behaviour varies with reports of 50% of a litter being savaged to 100% of the litter being savaged (ref). Additionally, as crushing of offspring by the mother is considered and has been discovered to be the leading cause of pre-weaned mortality in live born piglets (sp turner).

Environmental Factors

May increase crushing behaviour (sp turner). It has been demonstrated that human attitudes and behaviour affect the behaviour of domestic pigs (ref harris and gonyou).Amount of time spent in the farrowing room

Genetic Contribution

It has been proposed that the degree of aggressive behaviour displayed by sows will predict whether the offspring will be savaged and to what extent.(ref sp turner). Savaging sows may be genetically less likely to crush piglets which lends to the existing research supporting that savaging sows can be competent mothers

Preventative Measures

Sedation may prevent savaging however it may also delay the onset of aggression (ref sp turner)

Savaging in Other Species

Savaging of offspring by the biological mother has been reported in multiple species including farmed silver foxes, farmed wild boar and domestic breeds of farmed pigs. (ref: s.p turner)

Chen, C., Guo, Y., Yang, G., Yang, Z., Zhang, Z., Yang, B., … Huang, L. (2009). A genome wide detection of quantitative trait loci on pig maternal infanticide behavior in a large scale white durox x erhualian resource population. Behavior Genetics, 39, 213-219. doi:10.1007/s10519-008-9252-x

Chen, C., Gilbert, C. L., Yang, G., Guo, Y., Segonds-Pichon, A., Ma, J., … Huang, L. (2008). Maternal infanticide in sows: Incidence and behavioral comparisons between savaging and non-savaging sows at parturition. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 109, 238-248. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2007.02.008

Harris, M. J., Li, Y. Z., & Gonyou, H. W. (2003). Savaging behavior in gilts and sows. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 83, 819-821. doi:10.414/A02-111

Ahlström, S., Jarvis, S., & Lawrence, A. B. (2002). Savaging gilts are more restless and more responsive to piglets during the expulsive phase of parturition. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 76, 83-91. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(01)00207-6

McGlone, J. J. (1991). Techniques for evaluation and quantification of pig reproductive, ingestive, and social behaviors. Journal of Animal Science, 69, 4146-4154. doi:10.2527/1991.69104146x

Harris, M. J., & Gonyou, H. W. (2003). Savaging behavior in domestic gilts: A study of seven commercial farms. Canadian Journal of Animal Science, 83, 435-444. doi:10.4141/A02-001

Turner, S. P. (2011). Breeding against harmful social behaviors in pigs and chickens: State of the art and the way forward. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 134, 1-9. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2011.06.001