Early weaning in commercial pig production causes significant stress for both sows and piglets. Understanding and mitigating this stress is essential for welfare improvement.
The weaning process represents one of the most stressful events in the commercial pig production system. Both sows and piglets experience acute distress that is clearly observable and measurable. Longer lactation periods closer to natural weaning age dramatically reduce weaning stress, though they create production trade-offs. Where early weaning is maintained, welfare interventions including enriched housing, social continuity, pre-weaning creep training, and gradual pen transition reduce but cannot eliminate the stress of premature mother-offspring separation.