Gilt Management and Welfare in Pig Production

Gilts — young female pigs bred for the first time — are particularly vulnerable to welfare problems from management practices; appropriate gilt development and service protocols protect welfare.

Key Facts

Gilts need to reach adequate body weight and back fat reserves before first breeding
Inadequate gilt development leads to poor reproductive performance and reduced lifetime welfare
Mixing gilts with unfamiliar sows before first farrowing causes severe aggression stress
First litter gilts have the highest periparturient welfare risk of any parity

Welfare Considerations

Gilt welfare requires specific attention because the transition from growing pig to breeding sow involves multiple concurrent welfare challenges: social hierarchy establishment, reproductive physiology development, and the physiological demands of gestation and lactation. Management that rushes gilts to first breeding before adequate development compromises both welfare and lifetime productivity. Investment in gilt development programmes that ensure appropriate body condition and social preparation before first farrowing improves both welfare outcomes and lifetime productivity.

What You Can Do

Support producers with documented gilt development programmes
Advocate for gilt management standards in pig welfare assurance frameworks
Raise awareness that gilt welfare requires specific management attention beyond that for mature sows