Welfare considerations in outdoor farrowing systems for sows and their piglets.
Outdoor farrowing welfare represents one of the clearest demonstrations that production systems aligned with species behavioral needs deliver better welfare outcomes for both sow and piglets. The ability of outdoor sows to build genuine nests from natural materials and farrow without confinement addresses one of the most significant welfare costs of indoor intensive production. The welfare tradeoffs in outdoor systems - weather exposure, predation risk, variable management quality - require careful attention but are generally manageable with good husbandry. The welfare superiority of well-managed outdoor farrowing over gestation and farrowing crate systems is strongly supported by behavioral and physiological evidence.