Life Sciences Commons^™

Modifying Water Nipples For Newborn Pigs, P. A. Phillips, D. Fraser

Learning Ability Collection

The use of bite nipples by piglets during the first six days after birth was monitored by time-lapse video recording. Simple bite nipples, mounted at a downward angle, were not discovered by most piglets within the six days, even after the nipple had been modified to drip water continuously. However, two modifications resulted in most piglets discovering the nipple within three days. These modifications were (1) mounting the nipple close to the floor with an upward angle and (2) adding a short length of chain to the valve lever