Lactating sows face significant welfare challenges in conventional farrowing crates, and alternative systems offer meaningful improvements.
Sows in farrowing crates cannot perform nesting behavior — a highly motivated pre-partum drive that, when frustrated, causes significant distress. The inability to move freely also prevents normal nursing posture management and causes pressure sores from prolonged contact with hard floors. While the welfare cost to sows is well-established, producer concerns about piglet crushing in loose systems are legitimate. The evidence from alternative farrowing systems shows that careful pen design — including low-lying ledges, gradual floor slopes, and nest provision — can protect piglets while giving sows meaningful freedom. Transitioning away from farrowing crates is one of the highest-priority welfare reforms in commercial pig farming.