Newborn piglets are extremely vulnerable to hypothermia in the first days of life, and preventing cold stress is one of the most impactful welfare and survival interventions in pig production.
Hypothermia represents one of the most preventable welfare crises in pig production. Cold stress in newborn piglets causes measurable suffering — shivering, huddling, reduced activity — and rapidly progresses to a dangerous physiological state where body temperature falls below the level compatible with consciousness. The experience of hypothermia in mammals includes discomfort and distress before loss of consciousness. Beyond individual suffering, chilled piglets are weakened for the entire lactation period, experiencing compromised immunity, poor growth, and increased vulnerability to disease. Farms that invest in effective supplemental heating, good farrowing house insulation, and attentive stockmanship during the critical first 24 hours see dramatically lower mortality and better lifetime welfare outcomes. Drying piglets at birth and ensuring early colostrum intake are additional high-impact practices. Poor stockperson training is a common cause of preventable hypothermia deaths.