Flooring design in pig housing is a primary welfare variable affecting lameness, lying comfort, injury rates, and behavioral expression, with partially slatted and deep-bedded systems offering welfare improvements over fully slatted concrete.
Floor design welfare is a foundational infrastructure decision that affects pig welfare throughout their housing life. A pig on fully slatted concrete cannot lie comfortably, cannot root, and develops leg problems from the hard irregular surface. The welfare improvement from partially slatted systems with a solid lying area is achievable at modest cost and represents a minimum welfare standard that most welfare scientists consider necessary. Deep-bedded straw systems represent the high end of flooring welfare, providing substrate for rooting and nest-building in addition to lying comfort. Consumer certification programs that specify minimum flooring requirements create market incentives for infrastructure investment that would not otherwise occur.