Weaning is one of the most stressful events in a commercial pig's life. Management strategies that reduce weaning stress improve welfare outcomes for both piglets and sows.
Commercial weaning is a welfare event that causes measurable distress in virtually all piglets. The combination of losing the sow, losing littermates, changing diet, and entering a new environment within a short period overwhelms young pigs. Weaning diarrhea is partly a welfare indicator — the gut responds to stress with altered motility and microbiome disruption. The welfare case for later weaning is strong and consistent across multiple studies, but commercial pressure for rapid turnover of farrowing space drives the continued use of very early weaning. Management interventions that soften the weaning transition — familiar feed introduction before weaning, stable social groups, and enriched post-weaning environments — reduce but do not eliminate weaning stress.