Transitioning breeding sows from individual gestation stalls to group housing systems improves overall welfare but introduces social aggression challenges. Evidence-based management of the transition protects sow welfare during this important industry shift.
The transition from gestation stalls to group housing represents a major welfare improvement but requires careful management to deliver its benefits. Gestation stall confinement causes profound welfare compromise: inability to turn around, lie down naturally, or perform any natural behavior for months at a time. The psychological and physical costs — learned helplessness, cardiovascular deconditioning, stereotypic behaviors, and muscle atrophy — are severe. Group housing restores movement, social interaction, and behavioral expression. However, the social aggression during group formation is a genuine welfare cost that requires mitigation. The best group housing systems combine stable social groups (avoiding repeated regrouping), adequate space to avoid and retreat, enrichment that reduces competition, and feeding systems that prevent resource guarding. The welfare outcome of group housing, properly managed, substantially exceeds even the best gestation stall management.