Dossier

Farrowing housing and management

Health and welfare of sows is especially challenged with severe space restriction (e.g. in conventional crates), heat stress during warm periods, lack of nest building materials, and large litters. Challenges for the health and welfare of piglets – possibly leading to reduced growth and increased mortality - include high competition for teats, limited space for resting and for suckling, lack of exploratory material, and mutilations. Risks can be considerably reduced if correct measures and practices are introduced to meet the needs of sows and piglets.

Source photo: © WUR

This dossier aims to help Competent Authorities and other stakeholders with the issues related to farrowing housing and management. The dossier is updated periodically by the EURCAW-Pigs team. The text is meant to support Competent Authorities, and is not legally binding.

The dossier is based on EURCAW-Pigs “Review on farrowing housing and management”. Five important key areas challenging the welfare of sows and/or piglets - therefore important as focus areas for inspections - are highlighted: Space and freedom to move; Comfortable climate; Nest building and exploration; Litter size and competition; and Mutilations.

Each EURCAW-Pigs dossier is divided in the following 5 items: 'Legislation', ‘Welfare indicators’, ‘knowledge’, 'Inspiring examples', and 'Training courses'.

_{Source photo: ©EURCAW-Pigs}

The legal requirements related to farrowing housing and management can be found in Council Directives 98/58/EC and 2008/120/EC. In EURCAW-Pigs' Thematic factsheet on farrowing housing and management, the relevant legal requirements are summarized and presented in conjunction with the five focus areas for inspections.

Council Directive 98/58/EC sets down general standards for animals kept for farming purposes. Article 4 states that: “Member States shall ensure that the conditions under which animals (...) are bred or kept, having regard to their species and to their degree of development, adaptation and domestication, and to their physiological and ethological needs in accordance with established experience and scientific knowledge, comply with the provisions set out in the Annex.”

To avoid unintended welfare problems in production, breeding, housing and management during and after farrowing, caretakers need to take the specific biology and behavioural needs of pigs into account. When specific needs are not met, frustration and stress in sows may lead to health problems and impaired lactation and maternal behaviour. Crating of sows, for example, is a particular welfare challenge for sows, while different options are available for keeping sows loose during farrowing and lactation.

Guidance

EURCAW-Pigs’ review of farrowing housing and management suggests improved practises for each of five key areas:

Space and freedom to move: Sows need space for nest building, lying-down and getting-up movements, turning around, and exploration. Piglets need space around the udder to get access to their preferred teat.
Comfortable climate: Sows and piglets have different thermo-neutral zones: the thermo-neutral zone of newborn piglets is 34°C, whereas the sows’ thermo-neutral zone is around 16-20°C.
Nest building and exploration: Sows have a strong motivation to build a nest. For piglets, nest materials like straw provide both thermal comfort and exploratory materials.
Litter size and competition: Large litters are associated with reduced birth weight and growth, and higher piglet mortality.
Mutilations: Best practices include reducing the need for mutilations of neonate piglets - such as tail docking, teeth grinding and castration -, and reducing associated pain and stress.

In the next section, welfare indicators are described, helping to identify welfare issues.

_{Source photo: ©Danish Crown}

Alternatives to the conventional farrowing crates for indoor keeping can be divided into two principally different pen types. Systems with pens having a partly solid floor and systems consisting of pens with a fully slatted floor. Within these two different pen systems either zero confinement or temporary confinement can be practiced.

In the “Review on alternatives to farrowing crates” EURCAW-Pigs describes alternatives to the permanent confinement of sows during farrowing and lactation and the likely outcome of the alternative systems on animal welfare including piglet mortality. Further, an overview is given on national legislation and voluntary label schemes in various EU countries where permanent confinement is banned.

Different systems

Systems having pens with a partly solid floor allow the sow to divide the pen area into functional zones, and allow provision of nest materials enabling the sow to carry out nest building behaviour in a more natural way. In system consisting of pens with a fully slatted floor, the sow is unable to divide the pen into functional zones. Also, allocation of nest materials as straw is difficult due to the risk of clotting the slats and the slurry system.

Within these two different pen systems either zero confinement or temporary confinement can be practiced. Zero confinement can also be achieved by keeping sows outdoor in a larger fenced paddock with voluntary access to a farrowing hut positioned in the paddock.

Source photo: ©Aarhus University

Nest building is covered by the welfare directive since nest building is a strong behavioural need driven by hormones. Preventing nesting behaviour, e.g. by lack of space or lack of nest materials, is as such associated with frustration and stress, and therefore associated with poor welfare.

In the short review “Nest building materials for sows during farrowing”, EURCAW-Pigs gives an overview of the motivation behind nest building behaviour and its behavioural elements.

Nest building behaviour

Nest building is a strong behavioural need driven by changes of hormones around birth. Under production conditions, sows are still highly motivated to seek out an isolated nest site for nest building. Preventing nesting behaviour is as such associated with frustration and stress, and therefore associated with poor welfare.

Crates versus zero confinement systems

For crated sows during farrowing, type and allocation of material must be considered carefully, particularly with respect to floor type. Materials should either be presented quite frequently in front of the sows or be materials that can be attached to the side/front of the pen, e.g. rope and jute sacks.

In pens with zero-confinement, many scientific studies show that the allocation of large quantities of good quality nest material not only contributes to meeting the sow's need for nest building, but also contributes to increasing sow maternal care and improving piglet survival and growth.

Source photo: ©WUR

The current conditions in which weaned pigs are kept are the most important in relation to the development of tail biting behaviour. Evidence for associations between management and housing during suckling and tail biting behaviour is scarce and contradictory (see ‘Show more’).

EURCAW-Pigs gives a short overview of the current knowledge on potential early life risk factors and their impact on tail biting behaviour in later life in the short review “Management of unweaned piglets”.

Tail biting is a multifactorial problem and different aspects can contribute to the expression of tail biting. The suckling period is a very sensitive phase in piglet production. Piglets, especially from large litters, are highly challenged in early life. Risk factors such as undernutrition, social stress due to competition, and crossfostering are suggested to increase tail biting behaviour in later life. These factors mostly relate to hyper-prolific sows with large litter sizes.

Further research is needed to investigate possible effects of thermal comfort, air quality, health status, acute stress and the housing environment to prevent the expression of tail biting in later life.

Source photo: ©AU, Cecilie Kobek-Kjeldager

Selection for large litters has resulted in sows giving birth to several pigs exceeding the number of functional teats available at the sow’s udder. This results in a disturbed nursing-suckling pattern. Interventions include split suckling, cross fostering and use of nurse sows, milk supplement and artificial rearing. These interventions all come with a price in terms of reduced welfare for both pigs and sows.

In the short review “Managing large litters”, EURCAW-Pigs provides an overview of the development in litter size and its consequences for sow and pig welfare.

Reduced welfare

Even though interventions are necessary to keep surplus pigs alive, they all come with a price in terms of reduced welfare for both pigs and sows:

Reduced welfare in pigs in hyper prolific litters is due to increased mortality rate, decreased birth weight and viability, increased competition and fighting, impaired internal biosecurity and in many cases lack of space in the farrowing pen.
Reduced welfare in sows is due to high metabolic demands, prolonged farrowing and longer time being crated.

Considering the health and welfare problems related to the suggested mitigation strategies, as well as the lack of trained work force experienced throughout EU, using less prolific sow lines seems important to improve pig and sow welfare in the farrowing unit.

Source photo: ©Aarhus University

Welfare indicators can be used to facilitate welfare inspections on farms and to identify welfare issues related to farrowing housing and management. For four out of five key areas to focus on during inspections, EURCAW-Pigs identified relevant indicators to assess the welfare of sows and/or piglets. Each indicator is described in an indicator factsheet, by suggesting an inspection and scoring method, and summarizing the underlying welfare concern and legal requirements.

Assessment of welfare of sows and/or piglets

Indicators to assess space and freedom to move:

Body lesions: Sows are scored for presence of fresh or healed lesions. Space available to sows within the crate is assessed.
Udder and teat lesions: Udder and teats are scored for presence of fresh or healed lesions. Poor access to the udder is assessed by measuring the space to suckle.
Facial and carpal joint lesions: Face and carpal joints of piglets are scored for
presence of fresh or healed lesions.

Indicators related to climate control:

Cold stress (piglets): To detect signs of cold stress, piglets are observed for huddling and shivering. Size of nest area and temperature in nest area are also checked.

Check of nest building materials for sows and exploratory materials for piglets:

Nest building material: Nest building material for sows, and exploratory material for piglets are assessed for their suitability.

Indicators for inspecting welfare issues related to litter size and competition include:

Sows in poor body condition (underconditioned). It is evaluated whether sows are in the proper condition.
Teat competition in hyper-prolific litters may be associated with teat lesions, starvation and poor growth as well as increased prevalence of facial lesions.

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Space and freedom to move - Vision Pig

Vision Pig - MuD Tierschutz

In collaboration with national training bodies and national reference centers on animal welfare, EURCAW-Pigs develops training guides for the different welfare topics as standards for national training in EU Member States.

Learning goals

On the subject farrowing housing and management:

Knowledge about the intention of the EU-legislation (Farrowing management and housing).
Updated knowledge about the biology and behavioral needs of sows and piglets in relation to farrowing management and housing and how this related to the animal welfare.
Knowledge about the five main risk areas for poor welfare for sows and piglets.
Knowledge about indicators suggested by EURCAW-Pigs to use to check compliance within the five risk areas and the strength/weaknesses of these.
Tools for calibration and practical training in calibration using the EURCAW-Pigs’ indicators.
Knowledge on measures to improve welfare within the five risk areas.
Knowledge about challenges in relation to communication with farmers during inspection.

Inspection-driven welfare improvement

Additionally, EURCAW-Pigs provides examples of training plans and materials used in different Member States in English, to the extent possible, and training suggestions for improvement of communication skills and ways to support inspection-driven welfare improvement. This is presented on the training overview page.