Outdoor pigs face significant heat stress risks in summer requiring shade, wallowing opportunities, and water provision to maintain welfare during high-temperature periods.
Outdoor pig production offers genuine behavioral welfare benefits but creates specific heat stress vulnerability compared to indoor pigs with climate control. During summer heat waves, outdoor pigs without adequate shade and wallowing opportunities experience significant thermal stress with physiological effects including elevated cortisol, reduced feed intake, and reproductive compromise. Pale-skinned pigs face the additional welfare problem of sunburn causing skin pain and discomfort. Proactive summer management through shade tree planting, wallowing pits, and increased water provision is essential for maintaining outdoor pig welfare during warm periods.