Piglet Pre-Weaning Mortality: Causes and Prevention

Pre-weaning piglet mortality typically affects 10-20% of piglets born, representing significant welfare losses and prevention opportunities through improved management.

Key Facts

The main causes of pre-weaning piglet mortality are crushing by the sow, starvation, and disease
Hypothermia in the first 24 hours is a major contributor to piglet mortality from poor thermoregulation
Larger litter sizes from genetic selection have increased the proportion of low-birth-weight piglets
Good husbandry practices including heat mats, creep areas, and colostrum management can halve mortality rates

Welfare Considerations

Pre-weaning piglet mortality represents significant suffering at an early and vulnerable stage of life. Piglets crushed by sows typically die within minutes from traumatic injury. Starvation occurs when low-birth-weight piglets cannot compete at the udder. Hypothermia develops rapidly in piglets with limited brown fat reserves. Diarrhea from E. coli and rotavirus causes dehydration and death. While some mortality is inevitable, management practices significantly affect rates. Provision of adequate heated creep areas, foster sow management for large litters, strategic nursing assistance for low-birth-weight piglets, and appropriate vaccination programs all reduce mortality. The welfare case for preventing piglet mortality is both direct (reducing individual suffering) and indirect (demonstrating that animal welfare and production efficiency can align).

What You Can Do

Support farm assurance standards that require piglet mortality monitoring and reduction targets
Advocate for heat mat provision and creep area requirements in pig welfare regulations
Choose pork from certified farms with verifiably lower piglet mortality rates
Support research into piglet mortality prevention approaches
Recognize piglet welfare as a significant and addressable animal welfare priority in pig farming