Flooring type in pig housing has profound welfare implications for foot health, leg integrity, cleanliness, and the expression of natural behavior including rooting and lying comfort.
Pigs housed on fully slatted concrete floors without bedding experience floor-related welfare problems including foot pad lesions from continuous hard surface contact, leg joint problems, and behavioral frustration from inability to root. The thermal discomfort of lying on hard cold concrete reduces rest quality. Straw bedding provides cushioning, rooting substrate, and thermal insulation that addresses multiple welfare needs simultaneously. Transitioning from fully slatted to partially or fully bedded systems is one of the most impactful housing welfare improvements available for pigs.