Instant Insights: Improving the welfare of gilts and sows

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on improving the welfare of gilts and sows.

The first chapter reviews current knowledge on the factors affecting the health and welfare of gilts and sows during pregnancy and parturition. The chapter considers the influence of group housing, stress and social interaction on the development of production diseases, such as post-partum dysgalactia syndrome and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.

The second chapter provides a detailed overview of the factors affecting the welfare of pigs during breeding and gestation. The chapter considers the influence of modern pig production on animal behaviour and welfare and reviews to what extent the inability to form matriarchal groupings contributes to demonstrations of aggressive behaviour.

The third chapter concentrates on the managerial and environmental interventions that attempt to reconcile the behavioural and physiological needs of both the sow and piglets to optimise their welfare during farrowing and lactation.

The final chapter describes the welfare issues associated with individual confinement systems and examines the nature and significance of stereotyped behaviour in gestating sows. The chapter also addresses the issue of hunger in the pregnant sow and drivers to adopt group housing systems for pregnant sows.