The welfare of sows during lactation is critical for both their own wellbeing and the health and welfare of their nursing piglets.
The lactating sow faces an extraordinary physiological challenge: producing up to 12 litres of milk daily while confined in a farrowing crate that prevents normal standing, lying, and movement. The combination of confinement, thermal stress, high nutritional demand, and the inability to respond to piglet nursing cues in a natural position causes chronic welfare compromise. Sows commonly show stereotypic bar-biting behaviors during lactation, an indicator of frustration and stress. Welfare-friendly farrowing systems that allow sow movement, provide comfortable lying surfaces, and address thermal comfort significantly reduce these welfare harms while maintaining acceptable piglet survival rates.