Gestation crates confine pregnant sows in spaces too small to turn around for much of their pregnancy, causing severe physical and psychological harm that has driven legislative bans in many jurisdictions.
Sow gestation crates represent one of the most criticized forms of animal confinement in modern agriculture. The inability to turn around for weeks or months is a fundamental deprivation for an intelligent, active animal. Stereotypic behaviors like bar-biting are not merely odd habits — they reflect chronic frustration of behavioral needs that cannot be expressed in the space provided. The legislative move away from crates reflects scientific consensus that they cause severe welfare harm.