Transitioning gestating sows from individual stalls to group housing improves welfare but requires careful management to minimize aggression.
Sows in gestation stalls cannot perform basic movements like turning around, lying comfortably, or expressing social behaviors across their four-month pregnancy. The frustration of spatial restriction causes stereotypic behaviors indicating chronic stress. While group housing transitions can cause short-term aggression, properly managed systems provide dramatically better welfare outcomes than individual stalls throughout gestation.