How outdoor farrowing huts for pigs compare to indoor systems for sow and piglet welfare during the critical birth period.
Outdoor farrowing systems represent one of the most significant welfare improvements available in pig production, allowing sows to express the full behavioral repertoire around farrowing including nest building - a highly motivated behavior that is completely denied in farrowing crates. The welfare trade-off of higher piglet mortality in poorly managed outdoor systems versus better sow welfare in crates is real but resolvable through appropriate management. Well-managed outdoor systems demonstrate that sow behavioral welfare and piglet survival can both be achieved. The available evidence supports outdoor farrowing as the higher-welfare option when managed competently, and consumer willingness to pay premium prices for outdoor pork makes it economically viable.