Force analysis of unprovoked pig gait on clean and fouled concrete surfaces

Pigs frequently slip and fall on floors, and in some cases they incur injuries. Several studies have shown inadequate floor properties to be the primary cause of most claw disorders in pigs, but to date no clear relationship has been found between claw disorders and floor properties such as friction and surface abrasiveness. To determine this relationship, the factors controlling gait must be characterised. This study characterised unprovoked pig gait on clean and fouled concrete floor conditions by the use of kinetics. A force plate was used to record kinetic gait parameters such as stance time, vertical and horizontal forces, and time of peak vertical force. In a previous study it was shown that pig gait adaption to fouled floor conditions resulted in reduced walking speed and prolonged stance phase. In fouled floor conditions gait adaptation in the present study showed a greater reduction in horizontal forces than in vertical forces, which reduced the peak utilised coefficient of friction (UCOF) and delayed the application of full vertical forces by the fore limbs.