The weaning of piglets from sows in commercial systems is one of the most stressful events of their lives, and advanced management protocols can substantially reduce the welfare harm of this unavoidable transition.
Early weaning is one of the most significant welfare-compromising events in the commercial pig production cycle. Piglets weaned at three weeks face simultaneous loss of maternal contact, dietary transition from milk to solid feed, social disruption from mixing with unfamiliar piglets, and a completely new environment. Each of these stressors would be challenging individually; their combination creates a severe welfare crisis that manifests as aggression, failure to eat, vocalization, and physiological stress responses. Management interventions that address each component of weaning stress, including familiarization with solid feed before weaning, mixing by litter origin to reduce aggression, and enriching post-weaning environments, have cumulative welfare benefits. Extended lactation to 35 days or beyond reduces all these stressors simultaneously.