Livestock

Livestock Pig Nest Building Behaviour and Welfare

Nest building before farrowing is a strong behavioural drive that intensive systems frustrate.

Key Facts

Sows show intense nest building behaviour for up to 24 hours before farrowing
They root, gather materials, and construct a nest in natural conditions
Farrowing crates prevent all nest building behaviour
Even providing straw in crates partially satisfies this frustrated drive

Welfare Considerations

The pre-farrowing period is one of the most welfare-relevant periods in a sow's production cycle. The complete frustration of nest building drive in farrowing crates causes intense and well-documented behavioural distress. Providing nesting materials — even within constrained systems — reduces this suffering. Free-farrowing systems that allow full nest building expression provide dramatically better welfare in this critical period.

What You Can Do

Support provision of nesting materials as a minimum welfare requirement in farrowing systems
Advocate for free-farrowing systems that allow complete nest building
Choose RSPCA Assured pork from producers with free-farrowing commitments
Back research into farrowing system designs that combine piglet protection with sow welfare