Gestation crates confine pregnant pigs individually in spaces too small to turn around, causing significant physical and psychological welfare harms that have driven bans in many jurisdictions.
Gestation crates are among the most welfare-compromised housing systems in commercial animal agriculture. Sows spend an average of 16-17 weeks per reproductive cycle in spaces where they literally cannot turn around. The frustration of highly motivated behaviors (rooting, nest-building, social interaction) combined with physical confinement causes persistent stereotypies, aggression when released, and measurable psychological abnormalities. Group housing with appropriate space and enrichment is feasible and increasingly required by welfare-conscious markets. Consumer preference has been the primary driver of reform.