Livestock

Sow Welfare and Body Condition Management

Sow body condition scoring is a key welfare indicator in pig production, with thin sows being unable to meet the energetic demands of lactation and fat sows at risk of farrowing complications.

Key Facts

Sow body condition is scored on a 1-5 scale with 3 as optimal at farrowing
Thin sows produce less milk, wean lighter piglets and have longer wean-to-service intervals
Overweight sows are at higher risk of farrowing difficulties and overlying of piglets
Individual feeding in electronic sow feeders allows precise body condition management in group housing

Welfare Considerations

Sow body condition directly affects welfare across multiple domains simultaneously. Thin sows experience the equivalent of chronic nutritional stress during lactation while raising a litter of 10-14 piglets. Consistent body condition management requires regular individual scoring and appropriate feed adjustment, which is challenging but essential in high-welfare systems.

What You Can Do

Implement monthly body condition scoring of all sows as part of routine herd health management
Work with a pig nutritionist to ensure rations meet lactation energy requirements at different production stages
Invest in electronic sow feeding systems that allow individual feed allocation in group housing
Support farm assurance schemes that require body condition score records and trend monitoring