 Piglets may be happy wallowing in the mud, but they get a much better start in life if they are nurtured on a warm waterbed.
Instead of snuggling up to their mothers for warmth in their cold pigsty and running the risk of being crushed -- a common cause of early porcine death -- German scientists said waterbeds could be a safer alternative. When Martin Ziron and researchers at the Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics in Giessen, Germany tested various heating methods on 1,400 piglets during their first few weeks of life, waterbeds won hands down. "Around 99 percent of the piglets preferred warm waterbeds to any of the alternatives, spending well over half the day lounging about on them and only getting up to feed or play," New Scientist said Wednesday. The scientists compared the number of injuries, which usually occur while scrambling for a feeding position, and the weight gain of the piglets which were provided with plastic plates, foam mats, waterbeds, straw or concrete. Piglets on the waterbeds had fewer injuries and gained much more weight than the animals kept on concrete. "The waterbeds are made from a tough plastic membrane and can be heated from underneath by an electric mat or from above by infra-red lamps," according to the magazine. (Agencies) | 小猪们总喜欢在泥淖里滚来滚去。但如果把它们养在暖暖的水床里面，将会更加有利于它们今后的成长。 住在冰冷的猪窝里的小猪为了取暖，拼命依偎在母猪的身边。它们很有可能被挤死，这也是造成幼猪死亡的常见的原因。德国科学家研究发现，水床可以代替猪窝让小猪更加安全地成长。 德国吉森动物饲养遗传研究所的研究员马丁和他的同事给1400只小猪在出生后几周内试用了各种保温方法，试验证明水床是最受小猪欢迎的。  《新科学家》杂志11月20日刊登文章说：约99%的小猪喜欢水床胜过其他选择。它们每天有一大半时间懒在床上，只有吃东西或玩耍时才肯起来。
小猪常常会为了吃东西抢个好位置而受伤。科学家们分别比较了小猪生活在塑胶垫、泡沫垫、水床、干草和水泥环境中受伤和长胖的几率。 比起养在水泥环境下的小猪，水床上的小猪受伤更少，长肉更多。 杂志上还说："水床是由一种强韧的塑料膜制成，可以用电热毯从底部加热，也可以用红外线灯从顶部进行加热。" win hands down: 轻易大胜，垂手赢得 （中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2002-11-25 01:00
