177 Quantifying Cortisol in Hair as a Chronic Stress Biomarker in Group-housed and Stall-housed Sows During Gestation

Abstract The objective of the study was to determine hair cortisol concentrations in sows two different housing systems. Sows (n = 66, parity 0–6) were housed at SDSU sow facility and assigned one systems, stalls (STL) or group pens (PEN). STL 34) gestation from breeding until d111 ± 1.1 gestation; PEN 32) moved 3 approximately 24 h after a dynamic system. All females least 5d prior breeding. farrowing crates gestation. Hair shaved right hip within (defined as d0). At d37, d74, same area collected; samples d37 analyzed for cortisol. In statistical model, main effects system, time, their interactions tested with random effect. later [0–1 23), 2–3 17), 4–6 26)] assess between treatment. There treatment by interaction (P < 0.05) where 0–1 had higher (75.6 pg/mg) than (24.2 no effect on groups. Across parity, greater overall (49.4 vs 19.8 8.0 pg/mg hair). concentration tended be lower 0.06) (29.4 39.8 time observed. These results suggest that young experience stress individual stall increases progressing regardless