# The Correlation Between Body Pain Indicators and the Facial Expression Scale in Sows During Farrowing and Pre-Weaning: The Effects of Parity, the Farrowing Moment, and Suckling Events

## TL;DR

This study finds that sows show clear pain indicators during farrowing, especially when expelling piglets, and these indicators are linked to facial expressions.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific pain indicators and facial expressions in sows during farrowing, linking them to parity and suckling events.

## Key findings

- Back arching and facial tension are the most frequent pain indicators during piglet expulsion.
- Pain indicators and facial expressions are more frequent during farrowing than post-farrowing.
- Primiparous sows show more pain indicators but fewer postural changes than multiparous sows.

## Abstract

Giving birth is a painful experience for sows, yet research on their specific pain behaviours remains limited. The present study examined how pain indicators and facial expressions change during farrowing, during the farrowing event, and 19 days later. Sows displayed clear signs of pain, particularly at the moment of piglet expulsion. Back arching and facial tension were the most frequent body pain indicators, with significant differences depending on the stage of labour. After farrowing, these signs were absent. This research highlights a crucial issue in animal welfare: understanding and acknowledging pain in farm animals. By identifying reliable pain indicators in sows, farmers and veterinarians could improve birth conditions and introduce better pain management practices, ensuring a less distressing experience for the animals.

Parturition is accepted as a painful situation. Few studies explore pain-specific behaviours during farrowing in sows. The objectives of this study were, first, to assess if behavioural pain indicators (BPIs) are affected by the farrowing moment, parity, and suckling events, and second, to determine the relationship between the Facial Action Units (FAUs) and BPIs during farrowing. Ten Danbred sows were recorded throughout farrowing and on day 19 post-farrowing. Continuous observations of five BPIs and five FAUs were obtained across the three moments studied: (i) at the expulsion of the piglets, (ii) the time interval between the delivery of each piglet, and (iii) 19 days after farrowing, used as a control. Primiparous sows had more BPIs but fewer postural changes than multiparous sows. The BPIs were more frequent during suckling events in the pre-weaning moment. All the FAUs and BPIs were rare or absent post-farrowing (p < 0.05), and almost all of them were more frequent during farrowing (especially at the moment of delivery). Back arching showed the highest correlation with all the FAUs, and tension above the eyes showed the highest correlation with four of the BPIs. The BPIs and FAUs indicate that sows experience more pain during farrowing than during the third week post-farrowing, and piglet expulsion is the most painful moment in farrowing.